Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday said the role of media becomes more vital for peace in the days of conflict.
He was speaking as the chief guest at inauguration of a daylong seminar on "Media in Violent Conflict and Countries in Transition" organised jointly by Information Services Academy and United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organisation (Unesco). The seminar was organised to mark the world press freedom day.
Secretary Information Syed Anwar Mahmood and Principal Information Officer Mohammad Akram Shaheedi, besides other senior officers of the ministry and its allied departments were also present on the occasion.
The minister said that the government is strictly following the policy of nurturing and promoting a free, pluralistic and independent media in the country.
He said realising the significance of the free press in evolution of a democratic society, the government has provided all sorts of facilities to the media. In this pursuit, he said the monopoly of the government over electronic media since long has been given away. A number of private TV channels have been working in the country thus providing a healthy environment of competition in the field, he added.
Highlighting the significance of media he said, "It is more powerful than an atom bomb." Therefore, he said, there was greater need to exercise highest care and conscious while reporting the events and facts.
He said now it is the responsibility of the media to play its healthy and positive role in promoting national harmony and cohesion by projecting the facts in their true letter and spirit.
He said that the state of liberty and freedom to the press could be adjudged with the factor that it had been projecting those baseless and concocted things which had never happened.
Sheikh Rashid eulogised the services of the journalists who always had been playing a daring role whether it was peace-time of days of conflict. He said they must continue to play their effective role in promotion of peace even in the days of clash.
Secretary Information Syed Anwar Mahmood speaking on the occasion said it is the humanity which is affected due to conflicts and again it is the humanity which benefits from the resolution of the conflicts. Thus, he said, it must continue to play its role for promotion of peace especially during the days of conflict.
In his welcome address Director Unesco Pakistan Hassan Abadi said the Unesco observes this day every year to mark the significance of press freedom which is a fundamental right in every democratic societies.
Chairman Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Mian Mohammad Javed chairing the second working session said that the authority had issued 55 licenses in private sector for establishment of FM Radio stations in the parts of the country.
It also issued 24 licences to set up 24 MMDS channels, which speaks volumes about the governments commitment to provide free access to the information to the common man.
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