The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has expressed concern over the prevailing condition of freedom of press in Pakistan, saying the media is undergoing a phase of extreme congestion and unnecessary restrictions.
As per the resolution passed in a meeting of the standing committee headed by CPNE President Arif Nizami, the current condition of the media is far worse than it was in the past.
“It seems like newspapers are being subjected to economic sanctions in a bid to indirectly control the freedom of press. By subjecting newspapers to economic death, an attempt is being made to end freedom of expression and information, which is against the basic rights of freedom of press,” said a CPNE press release on Sunday.
The resolution termed the current media regulatory authority an unwise measure for the print media. “The print media obtained freedom after a long struggle and steps to bring it under a regulatory authority seem dictatorial and fanning fears amongst the newspaper circles.”
The resolution also expressed concerns over the various complaints of editors about restrictions on circulation of their newspapers.
The resolution stressed unity amongst all media teams, media organisations and other stakeholders and called upon them to formulate a joint strategy to ensure an end to indirect restrictions on the media.
In this respect, CPNE President Nizami was authorised to contact all media stakeholders, media organisations and journalist communities. The meeting also decided to organise an extensive media convention for promoting freedom of press.
The meeting also discussed the distribution of government ads and other affairs.
Those who attended the CPNE meeting included Arif Nizami, Zafar Abbas, Shaheen Qureshi, Ayaz Khan and Tahir Najmi, Dr Jabbar Khattak, Akram Saigal, Rehmat Ali Razi, Tahir Farooq, Saeed Khawar, Qazi Asad Abid, Hamid Hussain Abidi, Ijazul Haq, Adnan Malik Malik, Maqsood Yousufi,, Arif Baloch, Muzzafar Ejaz, Shakeel Turabi, Anwar Sajidi, Moazzam Fakhar, Muhammad Tahir, Amir Mehmood, Ghulam Nabi Chandio, Zulfiqar Ahmed Rahat, Abdul Rehman Mangario, Abdul Khaliq Ali, Ahmed Iqbal Baloch, Sher Muhammad Khawar, Akmal Chauhan, Basheer Ahmed Memon, Mehmood Alam Khalid, Mian Fazal Elahi, Mumtaz Ahmed Sadiq, Nasheed Roy, Sardar Naeem, Ashfaq Ahmed Mufti and Zahra Abbasi and others.
Published in Daily Times, December 3rd 2018.
