CPNE to form Media Complaint Commission
KARACHI – Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has decided to form Media Complaint Commission as self-accountability forum to redress complaints against the freedom of press and code of conduct.
The commission will review complaints of people and different quarters of society against newspapers on violation of code of conduct and newspapers against violation of the freedom of press by the government, different groups and take decision.
The decision to form the commission was taken at a meeting of the CPNE Standing Committee held under the chairmanship of CPNE Vice President Mehmoodul Aziz on June 2 in Karachi.
CPNE General Secretary Dr. Jabbar Khattak in a press release said the participants of the meeting expressed concern for not setting up Press Council by the government despite making its laws.
They felt that establishment of self-accountability forum was necessary in view of increasing complaints of code of conduct and rules of the freedom of press.
The meeting asked CPNE President Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman and Secretary General Jabbar Khattak to take immediate steps for establishing the commission.
The CPNE members from all the provinces will be members of the commission, besides CPNE president and general secretary.
The CPNE Standing Committee once again expressed its commitment with the freedom of press and said it would reject any pressure or ban on advertisements and accepting press advice.
The meeting through a resolution condemned ban on advertisements on different newspapers, including Nawa-i-Waqt Group of Publications and weekly Shehrag-e-Pakistan, Lahore.
Expressing disliking on government action of imposing “illegal ban” on five daily newspapers of Karachi, it said although the CPNE was strictly committed to follow its code of conduct and also condemns publishing matter and photos against the code of conduct, but government’s “illegal actions taken against rules and regulations” cannot be accepted.
The meeting said the government took action without any justification and demanded withdrawal of ban imposed by the Sindh government on five newspapers of Karachi and take action against persons/newspapers involved in violation of code of conduct and publishing “vulgar photos” under the relevant rules and regulations.
CPNE Vice President Pir Safdar Shah (daily Wahdat, Peshawar), Wasim Ahmed (daily Awam, Quetta), Secretary General Dr. Jabbar Khattak, Abdul Rashid Ghazi (Business Report, Faisalabad), Syed Fasih Iqbal (daily Zamana, Quetta), Mujeebur Rehman Shami (daily Pakistan, Lahore), Iqbal Siddho (daily Din, Lahore), Owais Aslam Ali (Pakistan Press International), Mustafa Sadiq (daily Wifaq, Lahore), Javed Mahar Shamsi, (daily Kalim, Sukkur), Aamir Mehmood (monthly Kiran, Karachi), Waqar Yousuf Azeemi (monthly Roohani Digest, Karachi), Syed Mumtaz Shah (daily Mashriq, Quetta), Mudassir Mirza (daily Jang, Karachi), Sajjad Mir (daily Nawa-i-Waqt, Karachi), Naseer Hashmi (daily Ummat, Karachi), Syed Munir Jeelani (daily Paigham, Faisalabad), Sharif Farooq (daily Jihad, Peshawar), Mukhtar Aaqil (daily Jasarat, Karachi), Usman Sani (daily Watan, Karachi), Mughal (daily Islam, Karachi), Nasser Dad Baloch (daily Sindh Sujaq, Karachi) and others attended the meeting.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:6/3/2004
” 
” 
” 
” 
