Chief Executive renews commitment to Press freedom | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Chief Executive renews commitment to Press freedom

KARACHI- Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf has reaffirmed the commitment of his government to ensure freedom of the Press in Pakistan.

“I am for freedom of Press in the country and will not interfere in its freedom. In the past Press in Pakistan was muzzled, but now it remains free. However, there is need for maturity in the Press to publish the truth and keep national interest supreme,” he said while replying to a question at his press conference in Karachi early morning on return from New York.

The chief executive was asked to comment on his observation in New York about certain Pakistani journalists who take money for publishing stories and name them.

“I said money was being given to some journalists, but I don’t want to get involved in giving evidence. There were many wrong doings in the past. Money was given for political interest. However, no inquiry is being contemplated for this. We are trying to bring in new civilised culture in Pakistan,” General Musharraf said.

The chief executive agreed that those journalists who were honest and did not take money should not be implicated. In the past the Information Ministry used to give money to the Press from “Secret Fund. That allocation of funds has been closed by my Government,” he stated. To another question, he assured to take up with National Accountability Bureau cases of poor people who were cheated by “fake investment companies in the past.”

Source: Business Recorder
Date:9/16/2000