CPNE for end to ban on media
Newspaper editors’ national body Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has said free media and free and fair elections are impossible under the emergency rule and demanded immediate end to emergency and ban on Geo and ARY news channels.
CPNE made these demands by passing unanimous resolutions in a meeting in Lahore, jointly presided over by its former president Arif Nizami and Punjab vice president Mumtaz A Tahir. The editors of national newspapers attended the meeting.
The meeting through a resolution condemned shutting down of transmissions of Geo News and ARY and ban on advertisements of the Jang Group. The meeting demanded resumption of the transmissions of all news channels without interruption and ending curbs on media.
The editors’ body in another resolution rejected the amended PEMRA ordinance adding that free media and free and fair elections are impossible under the emergency and demanded end of emergency to allow the media to play its role freely.
The meeting also demanded immediate restoration of advertisements to Jang Group. The participants of the meeting hoped that interim prime minister Muhammad Mian Soomro would take an immediate notice of the situation and ensure an independent media.
CPNE members went to Geo News office and expressed solidarity with Geo News employees and ensured of their full cooperation. On the occasion, CPNE members also expressed solidarity with ARY crew.
Mujeeb Urrehman Shami (Pakistan), Ishrad Haqqani (Jang), Arif Nizami (The Nation), Najam Sethi (Daily Times), Jamil Ather (Jurrat), Altaf Hussain Qureshi (Urdu Digest), Sajjad Bukhari (Musawat), Rehmat Ali Razi (Azzam), Mumtaz A Tahir (Aaftab), Ayesha Haroon (The News), Saeeda Fazal (Business Recorder), Adeeb Javedani (Moon Digest), Nasrullah Malik (ARY), Amin Hafiz (Geo News) and Mohsin Mumtaz (Woman Times) attended the meeting.
Source: The Nation
Date:11/20/2007
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