LAHORE: The Punjab Committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) held a ceremony to address challenges being faced by local newspapers.
Punjab Information Minister Mutjaba Shujaur Rehman graced the occasion as the chief guest.
Addressing the participants, the minister said the Punjab government believed in media freedom. He said democracy in Pakistan was linked to media freedom. He assured the participants of government support in this regard.
The minister also announced to establish institutes for training of journalists. He vowed to solve problems confronting newspapers while getting government ads.
Adviser on Information and Culture Malik Ahmad Khan said a committee would be set up to better solve issues facing media houses.
Meanwhile, CPNE President Zia Shahid said media freedom was possible only if democracy flourishes.
Speaking on the occasion, CPNE Secretary General Ijazul Haq said, “Whenever media freedom is gagged, our council endeavours to get it free.” The council, he said, also arranged seminars on national unity both at federal as well as provincial level.
Punjab Committee Chairman Rehmat Ali said that the provincial Information Department did not release money in the wake of government ads.
Prominent editors, including Jameel Athar, Kazim Khan, Syed Mumtaz Shah, Khalid Chaudhry, Saeed Aasi, Attaur Rehman, Qudratullah Chaudhry, Ali Ahmed Dhillon, Safdar Khan, Sajjad Bukhari and others also addressed the ceremony.
The meeting decided to from a committee – comprising three senior members of the council – to work with the information minister for finding solutions to the above-mentioned problems.
