CPNE urges govt to consult stakeholders before formulating new press laws

CPNE DEMANDS GOVT TO PLAY ITS ROLE IN RESOLVING FINANCIAL CRISIS OF MEDIA INDUSTRY

The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has once again urged the government to release the outstanding bills of newspapers and publications.

A meeting of the Punjab Committee of CPNE was held, with 92 Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Muhammad Haider Amin as chairman, at the Daily Times office on Tuesday. As many as 21 members of CPNE from Punjab were present on the occasion.

All the participants were unanimous in their demand that the government must ensure timely payment of the ads keeping in view the ongoing financial crisis of the media industry. “The government must be aware of its responsibilities and it should play its role during this hard time being faced by the media industry,” said the members of the committee. All editors were of the view that they will resist the dictatorial laws being imposed by the government with full force.

“We have bravely fought the dictatorships of Ayub Khan and Ziaul Haq and we will also fight this time for the sake of press freedom,” they said. There will be no compromise at all as far as the freedom of press is concerned, CPNE members added.

The CPNE provincial committee also deliberated on the proposed ‘Punjab Press and Publication Bill, 2020’. The CPNE members were of the view that they will not accept any legislation on press laws that will be done without taking into confidence all the stakeholders. Moreover, the provincial committee also awarded the membership of Punjab CPNE to 21 new publications across the province. The meeting was attended by Express Group Editor Ayaz Khan, 92 News Group Editor Irshad Ahmad Arif, 92 Editor-in-Chief Muhammad Haider Amin, Daily Times Managing Director Kazim Khan, Pakistan Today Managing Editor Yousaf Nizami, Daily Ghareeb Editor Tanveer Shaukat, Jehan Pakistan Executive Editor Zia Tanoli, Sang-e-Meel Editor Multan Muhammad Arshad Roohani, Daily Saadat Group Editor Usman Ghani, and others.