• January 4, 2004
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RAWALPINDI.Jan 4:Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmed Saturday said the government was intending to end the internal and external differences at all levels for achieving the goal of national prosperity and evolution.

Addressing the participants of a seminar organized under the auspices of South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), the Information Minister said targets can never be achieved without solution of the core issues and Saarc countries should mutually work out the differences for bringing the regional disputes to an end in order to brig peace in South Asia. Sheikh Rashid welcomed the recommendations extended by members of SAFMA and would grant visas to journalists, from all Saarc countries.

However, the Information Minister point out that India refused to grant visa to several senior Pakistani journalists during the Saarc Information Ministers Conference held in New Dehli recently.

Sheikh Rashid said Pakistan has always been courteous and open hearted towards solving the Geopolitical disputes in South Asia.He said out that Islamabad issued visas to all those journalists from Saarc countries who expressed interest in attending the 12th Saarc conference.

“As being the government spokes,I my self is available for the visiting journalistsall the time and they can ersonally contact me any time on telephoneor in person,Sheikh Rashid offered.Highlighting the role of media in bringing together the Saarc countries, Sheikh Rashid said media men can help the member countries in solying the regional issues and bring them together. He said state media in Pakistan was expeditiously updating itself according to the modern designs, and PTV would be soon linked to 100 channel satellite system.

Sinha stresses flow of correct information by media Indian External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha Saturday eulogized the role of South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) in Promoting universalism and peaceful cooperation among
the people of SAARC countries. Addressing the concluding session of the SAARC journalists summit organized by SAFMA on the sidelines of the SAARC summit, Yashwant Sinha said the correct information was the psychological glue that bond people together and media can help in building regional confidence trust and understanding by re­moving suspicion and misconception by spreading flow of cor­rect information.

Sinha said modem media platforms, backed by the latest communication technology have made deep inroads into the tra­ditional forms of governance and in the process revolutionized the practice of international relations.

Indian External Affairs Ifinis­ter on this occasion called upon Pakistan and Ban adesh in par­1911 ticular to allow t free flow of media products from all SAARC Countries
Addressing the participants of the concluding session, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri said Islamabad was aiming at peacefully ending all the regional disputes including the Kashmir issue through dialogue.

The contact between people of Indo-Pak will bring confidence among the masses for actively contributing towards a peaceful, prosperous and stable South Asia, said Kasuri.

Kasuri said both politicians as well as media can play a vital role in bettering relations be­tweentheSAARC
membercoun­tries for uplifting their respective societies as well as strength7 ening democracy He appreciated the role of media in South Asia at this critical juncture of history and called on providing more fa­cilities to media ganizations to enable them to create peace ful and friendly atmosphere in the region.Kasuri also called on free flow of media products across South Asia for spreading peace and love.
Source: The Nation
Date:1/4/2004