CPNE ask SC to define Press freedom | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

CPNE ask SC to define Press freedom

KARACHI: The Standing Committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) has decided to move the Supreme Court to define and determine the limit of the freedom of Press, to protect it from the reach of the Executive, to ensure freedom of acquiring information and to formulate a just system of the distribution of government advertisements, says a Press release.

A three-member Committee comprising President CPNE Fasih Iqbal, Senior Vice-President Mahmood Ahmed Madani and Secretary-General Mujibur Rehman Shami has been set up to take practical steps in this regard. The Standing Committee, which met here Tuesday with President of the CPNE Fasih Iqbal in the chair, reviewed the government-press relations administrative affairs of the Council were also discussed.

Editor-in-Chief Jang, Mir Shakilur Rehman gave a detailed picture of the Group’s relations with the government. He said that the negotiations were making positive progress and hoped the situation would return to normal soon.

Secretary General Mujibur Rehman Shami apprised the meeting of the ups and downs during the last few weeks while the Editor of Business Recorder, M.A. Zuberi, and the Editor of Dawn, Ahmed Ali Khan, gave their views on administrative affairs of the Council.

President and General Secretary told the meeting that the task of revision of the old CPNE constitution had been completed and the list of the members finalised. Proposed amendments would shortly be sent to all the members. The new draft of the constitution would be prepared in the light of their opinion. The same would then be tabled in the CPNE General Council meeting for approval, they added.

It was also said that the forthcoming CPNE, elections would be held in April. The members expressed satisfaction and stressed the completion of CPNE reorganisation by then.

Jamil Athar shed light on the attitude of the Punjab Information Department to breathe life into the dead Press Publication Ordinance of the former President Ayub Khan’s regime. After a debate on the issue, the meeting made it clear that no such bid on the part of federal or provincial government would be tolerated. Such a step would be illegal and severe action would be taken against it, the meeting further said.

The meeting was attended by Fasih Iqbal (Balochistan Times), M.A. Zuberi (Business Recorder), Ahmed Ali Khan (Dawn), Mustafa Sadiq (Wifaq), Mir Shakilur Rehman (Jang), Arif Nizami (Nawa-i- Waqt), Inqilab Matri (Millat), Mir Javed Rahman (Akhbar~i-Jahan), Anwar Farooqui (Aghaz), Jamil Athar (Juraat), Pir Sufaid Shah (Wahdat), Shaheen Qureshi (Pakistan Times), lqbal Dil (Hilal-i-Pakistan), Mahmood Ahmed Madani (Jasarat), Mushtaq Ahmed Qureshi (Nawa-i-Nawabshah), Wasim Ahmed (Awam), Akram Ghazi (Chilman), S. Munir Jilani (Pegham) and Mujibur Rehman Shami (Zindagi)

Source: Nation

Date:3/11/1999