Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) in its meeting rejected all those steps of the government that could put fetters on journalism and right of expression. The meeting of the Standing Committee of the CPNE chaired by CPNE President Jamil Athar Qazi was also attended by Editor-in-Chief of Daily Nawa-i-Waqt and The Nation Majid Nizami on special invitation.
Addressing the participants Majid Nizami said that CPNE with reference to its role for freedom of the press was the apex body that had always reflected the wisdom and consciousness of the editors of the country. He vehemently stated that press was the fourth pillar of the state, which should be strong and stable like other organs such as judiciary.
CPNE President Jamil Athar Qazi, Senior Vice President Qazi Asad Abid, Secretary General Ilyas Shakir, Syed Fasih Iqbal, Altaf Hassan Qureshi, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami, Mehtab Khan, Mumtaz A Tahir, Sardar Khan Niazi, Wasim Ahmad, Javaid Mehr Shamsi, Syed Muhammad Munir Jillani, Shaheen Qureshi, Mukhtar Aqil and Najamuddin Sheikh spoke on the occasion.
CPNE President said that it was lamentable and a matter of deep concern for CPNE that the government was trying to lower dignity of the print and the electronic media with certain steps out of which some were secret and some made public by it. He said efforts were being made to impose restrictions on electronic media and to put pressure on print media. It had been decided by the government not to give advertisements of the Election Commission of Pakistan and PEPCO to newspapers.
He said the CPNE would safeguard freedom of the press at any cost. He said at a time when the general elections were about to be held in the country the CPNE would resist against any attempt to curtail the independent role of the print media and foil all conspiracies hatched to deprive newspapers from advertisements of Election Commission and PEPCO. He said any attempt to make the print media weaker would cause harm to the right of freedom of the press which was obligatory in a democratic society and guaranteed in the Constitution. He demanded of the government to give equal advertisements to the print and electronic media of all its government institutions particularly of the Election Commission of Pakistan and PEPCO.
In his address Majeeb-ur-Rehman Shami blamed some private television channel for telecasting vulgar and objectionable programmes. He stressed the need for stopping publication of objectionable and nasty material in newspapers adding that the print media should also work to put electronic media in the right direction.
The meeting also reposed confidence in the present office bearers of the CPNE and resolved that they should continue their offices till final decision of the pending cases in courts. The Standing Committee meeting of the CPNE expressed its deep sense of shock over the sad demise of Shaukat Hussain Shaukat Editor Daily Afaq and Raja Hussain Khan Maqboon Editor K-2 Gilgat and prayed that may Allah Almighty rest their souls in eternal peace and give courage to the bereaved family to suffer this loss. The participants also prayed for the early recovery of Abdul Rashid Ghazi Editor Daily Business Report Faisalabad.-PR