The NWFP government on Wednesday formally approved the establishment of Journalists Welfare Foundation. A committee was also constituted to work out procedure, structure and other details of the foundation. The committee has been tasked to prepare its report within a month.
The decision into this effect was taken during a meeting of the Journalists Welfare Fund Committee of the NWFP government held here with NWFP Minister for Information, Asif Iqbal Daudzai on Wednesday. Chief Minister and provincial cabinet would give the formal approval in this connection.
Those who attended the meeting were including Secretary Information Colonel Ghulam Hussain (Retd), Additional Secretary Afzal Khan, Director Information Abdul Baqi, President of the Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) Sajjad Haider, President, Peshawar Press Club (PPC) Muhammad Riaz, Assistant Director Information, Faridullah and senior officers of the departments of information and finance.
Addressing the meeting the Minister for Information, Asif Iqbal Daudzai said that the provincial government is considering journalism as fourth pillar of the state and that is reason that they are not only defending the rights of newspaper workers and journalists at every forum, but also taken practical steps for the resolution of their problems and grievances.
The minister said that the efforts of the provincial government for the implementation of the wage board award, establishment of special welfare fund, annual grant of Rs one million for Peshawar Press Club and now the efforts for the establishment of Journalists Welfare Foundation are that practical steps, which has no precedent in past.
On this occasion, President of Peshawar Press Club, and Khyber Union of Journalists, Muhammad Riaz and Sajjad Haider respectively appreciated the efforts of provincial government for the resolution of the problems of journalists and for bringing improvement in the working conditions.
They appreciated the minister for information for raising the matter of the implementation of the wage board award, which pave for the unanimous passage of the resolution for linking government advertisement with the implementation of the award.
They said that these efforts of the provincial minister laid foundation for the passage of the resolution also from the National Assembly.