We journalists (WJ) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation, has been working in the areas of Development, Communications and Media . The role of Communications and Media is gaining importance everyday in establishing a safe, democratic world of peace. We journalists is committed to carrying on incessant endeavours to exploit the fullest potentials of Communications and media by employing education, research, training, publication, advocacy, consultancy and assistance. We journalistss activities are aimed at achieving our national objectives of emancipation, empowerment, welfare, awareness and sustainability of people and their environment and thereby, ensure a better world of peace and progress for the present and the posterity.

Training the media people is among the most frequent programmes that We Journalists undertakes to attain its objectives, such as Progress and Development; Democracy and Human Rights; Women Empowerment and Gender Equality. This is because of the fact that media plays a very vital role in sensitizing public opinion and influencing policy decisions.

However, it also organises workshops, seminars and colloquiums throughout the Sindh Pakistan, bringing together people from different sections of the society, including politicians, economists, journalists and experts from related fields, to create awareness and build opinion on nationally important issues.

Carrying out studies and researches on various issues is another important activity of We Journalists also has a large list of its members, most of them are based on working journalism. The outcomes of these studies are published and disseminated immediately through organising seminars, press conference and other means. The We Journalists also monitors the trends in and operations of the media and undertakes different programmes to make the media more effective in carrying out its responsibility.

The We Journalists undertakes programme of information, education, motivation on communication aspects of different issues of importance such as ecology, health and population, industry and development, politics and democracy, and plan and carry out such programmes for other agencies.

It provides consultancy services to government and non-governmental organizations in policy and programme formulation relating to media,Environment, communication, journalism and public relations.

It also assists in the production of manuals, reports, leaflets, brochures and booklets, translation and interpreter service covering Sindhi, Urdu, English and other languages.

The We Journalists also organizes meetings, brainstorming sessions, workshops, seminars and press conferences for any agency and also take up media campaigns on behalf of any individual or agency and Event Managing especially relating to Media and Communications.

Mr. Jaffar Memon                         Chairman
Mr. Khalid khokhar                      V chairman
Mr. Mahesh Kumar                       Secretary
Mr. Imdad Soomro                       J.Secretary
Mr. Iqbal Mallah                            Treasurer
Mr. Ishaque Mangrio                   Member
Mr. A.Rehman Samoon               Member
Mr. Lala Asad Pathan                  Member

The Chairman shall chair all meetings of the organization and, along with the Secretary, shall sign on the organization’s behalf all documents approved by the Board of Directors. In general, the Chairman shall perform all regular duties pertaining to the office of the Chairman, as well as any other duties as may be assigned by the Board of Directors or specified in these Bylaws.

The Executive Committee can nominate a member, In the Chairman’s absence, in order of precedence, shall chair the meetings of the organization. In the event of the Chairman’s resignation or death, Secretary shall act as acting President until the following elections.

The Treasurer shall oversee the funds of the organization and shall report on the organization’s finances at the midyear meetings of the Board of Directors and at the General council.

The Chairman and Secretary shall attend the annual meetings of the membership and of the Board of Directors and shall maintain accurate minutes of such meetings.

The Chairmen of the Executive Committee shall be the representative of the organisationn and, as such, shall perform all of the duties related to managing the organization. He shall be responsible for running the office of the organization and shall report to the Board of Directors at each of its meetings. He shall manage the business of the Executive Directors and shall give instructions as needed regarding the organization’s affairs.

Our practical, hands-on programs guide reporters and editors around the world to produce reliable, high-quality coverage that enriches the lives of the people these journalist serve. We empower journalists to do their jobs more effectively. We help build professionalism and lay the foundation for independent media, encouraging positive systemic change that resonates long after the training has ended.

We Journalists, believes that better journalism can improve people’s lives. We are training health journalists to provide accurate and balanced information that will help the public and policymakers stop the spread of killer disease. We are giving journalists the scientific know-how and resources to cover environmental issues, so that they can help their peoples, achieve sustainable economic growth without sacrificing natural resources and beauty.

“We journalists” organization, is a non profitable body and we are serving for sindh with our full determination and strengths. Due to this a 7 member delegation of our organization conduct a two days visit to Baddo jabal (Mountain), Manchur lake, Kaaiee valley, Naing sharif ( near Bhit jabal / mountain ) for fact findings on the ground.

Delegation were consists on following media persons.
1) Jaffar Memon (Editor Daily Sindh Hyderabad)
2) Mahesh Kumar (Editor Daily Halchal Hyderabad and General
Secretary Hyderabad Press Club)
3) Lala Rehman Samoo (Ex president Hyderabad Press Club)
4) Khalid Khokhar (Editor Daily Sindhu Hyderabad)
5) Iqbal Mallah (Assistant Editor Daily Awami Awaz Karachi)
6) Imdad Soomro (In charge Editorial Page Daily Ibrat
Hyderabad)
7) Ishaque Mangrio (Renowned Feature and story writer of Sindh)

FACT FINDINGS

Baddo Jabal (Mountain)
Baddo Jabal is about 60 kilometers apart from Sewhan Sharif (Taluka head quarter of district Sewhan) in 1995 the then chief minister of Sindh (Sayed Abdullah Shah) initiated the two major projects (1- institute for chest disease and tuber classes, for serving the ill peoples of country. 2- police training centre for Dadu district for 1000 recruits, in order to maintain the law and order situations in hilly areas of this district and urban areas as well) both projects are ninety percent near the completion, but after the topple down of than ppp government, ongoing works were stopped by successors and it is interestingly said that projects initiated by than ppps government ands stopped by their opponents are being not re initiated by current rulers of ppp for completions of both projects where almost 15 crore rupees have been already expended. The health/ police department of sindh government is ready to hand over the institute and training centre to other private parties for their own purposes. This is a fact, and needs to raise the voice internationally against the wishes and wills of our health / police departments.

Manchur Lake
Due to huge inflow of saline water in Manchur lake the hole ecology of Manchur lake has been changed and because of this fishermen’s of lake are brutally affected and goes under the below poverty line. It is our hard comment but a fact they are looking like beggars. The cultivated land around the Manchur Lake also seems to be the victim of seepage and not in a position to cultivate like past. this is to be happened for the lake of planning, and needs to balance between inflow and outflow. Here is the question, which is responsible to maintain the ecology of Manchur ? who is the responsible for the resettlement of fishermens, and what is the prime responsibility of present government of Pakistan peoples party ?. What voice we can rose for the restoration of Manchur lakes ecology? We think all questions are needs to a little support at national and international level, but who can do this big and serious job?

Interaction
During the visit we interact with the local residence of the whole areas, intellectuals, poets, representatives of different civil society organizations, and journalists from across the Dadu district. Where we concluded that a committee should constitute for the promotion of hilly areas for tourism and protection of Manchur Lake. In this respect an 6 members action committee constituted to aimed at the above mentioned purpose.

Members of the committee
1) Akbar Lashari convener
2) khalid khokhr member
3)Abbass khoso member
4) Hakim khan noohani member
5) Mahesh kumar member
6) Ishaque Mangrio member

CPJ research indicates that the following individuals have been killed in 2008 because of their work as journalists. They either died in the line of duty or were deliberately targeted for assassination because of their reporting or their affiliation with a news organization. Read the rest of this entry »

HYDERABAD, Nov 9: Councillors and NGO activists said at a seminar here on Sunday that council members were never consulted about preparation of budget and were always asked to pass the document prepared by municipal officers and secretaries.

The seminar on “Budget allocations in local government for marginalised sections of society” was organised by the South Asia Partnership in collaboration with We Journalists at a hotel. The speakers said that budget was passed every year without any input from councillors and nazims.

Qazi Basheer, former director of local government, said that he had observed in the course of his service that officers were in the habit of just modifying the budget of outgoing fiscal year to prepare a new budget.

He called for budgets that should be rights-based and poor-friendly and said that British rulers were people-friendly because they used to take feedback from local population before allocating funds.

Majority of speakers including councillors and NGOs’ activists who were working in local bodies sector were of consensus opinion that local bodies’ members were not consulted in preparation of budgets.

They hit out at parliamentarians and said that they had no vision to improve the lot of their electorates.

Sarwar Abbasi, a councillor from Larkana, said that councillors did not have any say in local government affairs. Funds meant for union councils often found their way to meeting fuel expenses of nazims and paying salaries of staff, he said, adding that even Nisar Khuhro, MPA from his area, did not visit his constituency.

Javed Bhatti, an NGO activist from Badin, said that they normally came to know about passing of district government’s budget through newspapers. Taluka municipal officers and union councils’ secretaries prepared budget after mutual consultation, he said.

He said that funds out of monthly grant for UCs should be utilised for carrying out development works in the area.

Dr Rubi Dharam Das, a member of Umerkot district council, said that members were handed stacks of budget documents in which they had zero input. “We normally pass ready-made budgets because influence is always there,” she said.

Ali Hassan Mahar of Village Development Organisation Ghotki said that the first round of LB polls were considered as exercise and there was hope that in the second round things would start improving but unfortunately situation had only worsened.

He criticised even parliamentarians for their lack of vision. “Around Rs500,000 were spent Sindh chief minister’s visit to Ghotki but what our MPA demanded of him was that a hospital should be named after Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. He didn’t ask the chief executive to give equipment to the hospital, upgrade it or ensure availability of doctors,” he said.

SAP coordinator Zulfikar Shah dilated on the question of provincial autonomy without which, he believed, conditions could not improve at grass-root level.

Sindh had a surplus of Rs4 million but then onwards it was having a deficit budget. Only three per cent and seven per cent improvement had been witnessed in road and sewerage sector during last eight years which was not appreciable.

He called for activating 268 monitoring committees and decentralisation of political structure with an effective bureaucracy and supported women’s representation in the system.

Yamin Memon, PhD in development sector, said that present LB system had been borrowed from the developed countries where it had been working successfully.

Actually, political will was required to make the system workable with proper monitoring, he stressed.

Jaffar Memon of We Journalists, Ghaffar Malik, Iqbal Mallah and Nazeer Qureshi also spoke at the seminar

The Activities reported by Dawn

Sindh, the second largest province in Pakistan, is a province of many distinctions. It is the most urbanized province with 43% of people living in urban areas, and is the province with the highest literacy rate.

Sindhi as a language

Urdu is the national language of Pakistan; besides this, there are many languages spoken all over the country. Sindhi, one of these languages, covers a large portion of the population. It is an older language, spoken in the time of the historical Aryans. Although time has affected the language, the changes resulted in the large number of current speakers. Read the rest of this entry »

Journalists are assassinated around the world………… see detailed Report

Assassinated journalists and media workers

Shihab al-Tamimi (Iraq)

President, Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists

Killed on 27 February 2008 in Iraq

[UNESCO Statement]

Read the rest of this entry »