Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Syed Samsam Ali Bukhari has said that media should not be a party, but it should be a party of Pakistan. Discussions are always fruitful because these are full of diversity of thoughts, which enable us to understand the issues easily. He was addressing the seminar on media and freedom of expression, on Monday.
Talk shows provide us 'food for thought', we should avoid 'know it all' syndrome and listen to the point of view of others, the minister said. Only media should not be free, but whole of the society should be free. Freedom comes after a struggle, he added. Speaking on the occasion, former foreign secretary of Pakistan Shamshad Ahmed Khan said that there are similarities between diplomat and journalist because it is necessary for them to distinguish between facts and fiction.
He said the media plays an important role in understanding the issues. President Council of Newspapers Pakistan Khushnood Ali Khan has said media is not free and held the government responsible for it. There are restrictions on the excess to information, he said.
He observed that the electronic media is passing through its 'age of infancy' and will take time to reach at the stage of maturity. Dean Faculty of Behavioural Sciences Dr Mughees-ud-din Sheikh said there should be a check on religious channels along with the news channels. He said that government should know that who provides funds to them (religious channels).