Govt firmly believes in press freedom: Zardari
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday said the democratic government firmly believes in freedom of the press and always takes criticism as a feedback to its actions.
Talking to a delegation of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), which called on him here, he said that effective steps were being taken to provide professional training to the working journalists. The president said that a media university was also being set up in Islamabad to provide the best education and training facilities to working journalists and all the people associated with the media.
Congratulating Pervez Shaukat on being elected the President of the PFUJ for the third consecutive time, President Zardari said that he would keep up his efforts to facilitate the journalists. Pervez Shaukat apprised the president of the problems of the journalist community.
Meanwhile, the PFUJ on Friday expressed its gratitude to President Asif Ali Zardari for constituting the Eighth Wage Board Award and several other directives for the welfare of thousands of journalists across the country.
The president ordered the constitution of the 8th Wage Board Award following the meeting of the PFUJ delegation that called on him in President House, Islamabad, on Friday.
The delegation was headed by PFUJ President Pervez Shaukat, Secretary General Amin Yousuf, Senior Vice President Tariq Chaudhry, Vice President Asad Sahi and Treasurer Arshad Yaseen. Federal Minister for Information Firdous Ashiq Awan, Secretary Information Taimor Azmat and PIO Saleem Baig were also present during the meeting to ensure the execution of the presidential orders.
President Zardari also ordered to allot a plot of land for establishing the PFUJ Secretariat in Islamabad. Besides, the president also ordered to establish the endowment fund for journalists, and asked the information minister to coordinate with the PFUJ and the Ministry of Finance.
The PFUJ delegation requested the president for helping the PFUJ in its efforts to get the vulnerable journalist community insured. In this regard, President Asif Ali Zardari directed the Minister for Information and Secretary Information to convene a meeting of banks and insurance companies to hammer out a concrete plan for life insurance benefits for journalists.
The PFUJ delegation expressed its gratitude to the president for his kind consideration and immediate actions for the journalist community in Pakistan. The president also accepted an invitation to inaugurate the PFUJ Secretariat and meeting with all the office bearers of the PFUJ at the earliest.
Later, Minister for Information Firdous Ashiq Awan, while addressing a dinner she hosted in honour of the office bearers of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) at a local hotel, said that her ministry would facilitate the journalists in performance of their professional duties and she would personally ensure that hurdles in their professional duties were removed. She congratulated Pervez Shaukat on his election as the PFUJ president for the third term.
PFUJ President Pervez Shaukat expressed his gratitude to President Asif Ali Zardari for constituting the Eighth Wage Board Award and for several other directives for the welfare of thousands of journalists across the country.
Source: The News
Date:4/9/2011
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