Executive faces defeat whenever it fights media: Shami
ISLAMABAD: President All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) Mujib-ur-Rehman Shami has said that different institutions cannot exist unconcerned with one another whenever, the executive starts fight with media it has to face the defeat.
He said that Nawaz Sharif started fight with a media group and he told the then prime minister that fight with media would be damaging and it proved true and today a lesson should be learnt from this fact.
Majib-ur Rehman Shami expressed these views while presenting vote of thanks in the APNS award distribution ceremony held at Presidency here on Tuesday. President APNS said, “We have nothing to do with the fact how the players of the politics deal with one another as who dismisses whom and when and who hits a six on whose ball but we are interested in the fact that cricket should be played as cricket and it should not be made football or hockey.” He said, “We also have a desire that no one can do ball tampering and that the empire should not become the twelfth player.” He said that defeat or victory is a part of game. He said that instead of breaking wickets and digging the pitch, the next match should be waited for and it is the sportsman spirit.
He said it was the commitment of the APNS that we would continue to do our part of work with honesty and we would continue to go on our journey courageously and honestly and we would shoulder our responsibility without any fear or greed and we expect that the administration would also steer all the matters with open heart and show added tolerance and would try to remove complaints by taking one step ahead regarding any of the publishing houses.
He said the APNS demands were seriously deliberated upon last year as many of them had been accepted by the then Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin. He said that he paid tributes to him without mentioning the demands. He also expressed his gratitude for Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira. He said that he got more than Rs90 million approved from Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani to pay the outstanding bills of the government advertisements. He said that we were thankful to the PM in this regard. He said that major part of this amount was still stuck up due to the official red tapism. He expressed hope that the president would look into this matter to get it resolved. He said that the president would accept some of their small demands with one stroke of his pen.
Mr Shami said that the media men are not the angels as they can also commit mistakes and the complaints may come from both the sides and in spite of all these factors one sided action cannot be supported in any way.
He said that the APNS believes in freedom of expression within the article 19 of the constitution and remaining within the limits of its own code of conduct. Therefore, he said, we supported to form Press Council and appointed representative from the APNS. He said that the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) had also taken this step. He said it was necessary to form the Press Council so that it might start its work. He said that consultation with the APNS and CPNE was must to appoint its chairman as we all know its real meaning because it should not be mere a lip service and it should be meaningful, purposeful and binding. He hoped that such a mechanism would be established through the Press Council, which could ameliorate the complaints.
The electronic media should be brought under its control or a separate institution should be established for the purpose. A decision in this regard should be made in consultation with the Pakistan Broadcasting Association and Ministry of Information.
The APNS president said the law for access to information should be given the final shape after consultation with society and access of media and the masses to closed files should be ensured in this manner. This would promote a culture of transparency and help the administration to regain the confidence of the masses, he said. He said the economic recession has also multiplied the problems of the newspapers. Therefore, he said, newspapers should be given special concessions in taxes and they should not be burdened beyond their capacity.
The APNS president further said the government should give final shape to its advertising policy as soon as possible and distribution of government adds should not be kept secret. Instead of secretly distributing the adds, the government should paste all the adds given to the newspapers on its website, he said, adding that the APNS membership should be made obligatory for the release of government adds. He said the government should specify the limit of at least 2000cm adds per month for newspapers having low resources and those institutions or individuals should be encouraged that maintained themselves for years despite difficult circumstances.
The APNS president said there was no raise in the rates of government advertisements for last so many years, therefore, 100 to 200 per cent raise should be made in the rates of government adds.
He said a site was specified for the establishment of APNS office in Islamabad and the CDA officials are fully cooperating in this regard. He called for early completion of the project. He also called for help in construction of the APNS offices in Karachi and Islamabad.
Shami paid rich tributes to journalists who laid down their lives in war against terrorism. He also paid tributes to the jawans of the Pakistan Army for making the country stronger by sacrificing their lives. He lauded the courage and determination of the Pakistani nation for not bowing to the forces of terrorism.
He said it is my request that a law may be framed under which it would be a binding on the government to support all expenses of the families of innocent victims of the killers. After all governments are supposed to take care of the life, property and honour of its people.
If it is established, then government would be held responsible to take care of the affected families. Please pay attention towards the families of the killed persons and turn the state as guardian and only that way the prayers of the victims would stretch a protective circle and no one would be able to cast an evil eye on you.
Source: The News
Date:3/10/2010
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