Media front against India to be strengthened
RAWALPINDI- Secretary Information and Media Development Khawaja Ijaz Sarwar while speaking at a “Meet the Press” programme of Rawalpindi Press Club said the Seventh Wage Board for newspaper employees would soon be constituted after consultation with all the concerned bodies. The Principal Information Officer Ashfaque Gondal was also present at the occasion.
The secretary, Ijaz Sarwar said All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) had sent the names of their agreed representatives for the Seventh Wage Board. The genuine representatives of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (APNEC) would be inducted after a thorough consideration, Ijaz said.
He said Federal Minister for Labour Omar Asghar Khan and Advisor to Chief Executive for Information and National Affairs Javed Jabbar would hold meetings with representatives of all journalists bodies in the coming two to three weeks. The problems faced by the journalist community would be discussed in the meeting, he added.
About the Press Council, he said the government had received draft proposals for the proposed Press Council from the CPNE president while suggestions from APNS were still awaited. “We have requested the APNS president to submit their proposals at the earliest,” he said. After submission of proposals from them the government would consider the formation of Press Council, Ijaz said.
The secretary said a powerful press in any country helped the government in carrying out good governance and formulating result-oriented policies. He urged the journalists to pay attention to objective and investigative reporting and avoid yellow journalism. The newsmen should not harm self-respect of any individual by indulging in scandalous reporting, he said. Ijaz asked the journalists to file such stories, which could benefit the country and the society.
He said the government behaved in the freedom of the press and during the last six months it had not tried to influence any newspaper or journalist. The government’s treatment of the press had truly reflected the commitment made by the chief executive about the freedom of the press in the country, he said. The policies of the government in relation to the press were far maturer and well directed, he said.
Regarding linking of advertisements to the implementation of the Wage Board Award by newspaper organisations, he said the matter would be discussed with the representatives of journalists and newspaper owners. He agreed with a questioner that radio transmitters at Muzaffarabad and other stations were outdated. He further said the chief executive would attend a briefing at the Information Ministry soon where proposals regarding upgradation of TV and Radio equipment would be made. The secretary said the Information Ministry was also not fully computerised and the chief executive would be requested to provide special funds for this purpose.
To a question regarding countering Indian propaganda he said with the launching of private radio and TV channels it was hoped that media front against India would be strengthened. Ijaz also announced to set up a fully furnished air-conditioned library at Rawalpindi Press Club (RPC), providing a large number of books on a variety of subjects. He asked the president of the Press club to make a list of books required for the library in consultation with the club members. He said information ministry would also provide TV, VCR and computers for the library.
Source: The News
Date:4/28/2000
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