KARACHI: Sindh Senior Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Sindh government have always respected press freedom and played their role in protecting the rights of journalists.
Addressing journalists protesting outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC), S Memon said that a journalist aired a news report that was damaging to the Sindh government. A complaint was lodged over the report, following which the journalist was dismissed from his organisation.
“However, I personally called the concerned organisation and requested that the journalist be reinstated.”
He said that the purpose of filing a complaint is not to make any journalist unemployed, but to point out false and baseless reporting. He said that perhaps no other political party has faced a media trial on the scale experienced by the PPP. “Even major media organisations conducted media trials against the PPP in an unfair manner, but we never took any action against any organisation.”
He said that the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) and the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) wrote letters to us, acknowledging that the Sindh government has done more for the media than any other government. The federal government and other provincial governments also make payments for advertisements, but Sindh is the only province that has ensured these payments are made on time. Advertisement bills of the federal government and other provinces may remain pending, but payments by the Sindh government will not be delayed, he said.
Memon said that we have instructed the Information Department to ensure timely payments to media organisations so that they can pay their employees’ salaries on time. The Sindh Information Department is at the forefront in this regard.
He said that the PPP has always stood by journalists and will continue to do so in the future. Everyone has the right to report news, but the news must be based on facts. It is not right to impose one’s own version of events on someone. Presenting personal thoughts and opinions as facts is not journalism, he said.
Memon said that in connection with the Mir Raza murder case, two political parties on social media linked a guest house to my name. In this regard, I lodged a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). He said that simply expressing what someone is thinking in one’s own chosen words does not constitute journalism. Everyone has the right to disagree and criticise, but it is essential to present facts in doing so.
He said that the PPP is a party of the people, and we must all work together to take the country forward. “I request all media owners not to forcibly dismiss any employee from their job. Our slogan is Roti, Kapra Aur Makaan (bread, clothing and shelter). How we can watch someone become unemployed, he asked.
Memon said that Sindh is the only province in the country that has established a Journalists Protection Commission for the protection of journalists. The PPP and the Sindh government stand with journalists and media workers and will continue to support them until their last breath, he said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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