Pakistan editors body deplores use of advertisements to pressure newspapers | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Pakistan editors body deplores use of advertisements to pressure newspapers

An emergency meeting of the Standing Committee of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), on March 8, strongly deplored the stopping of government advertising to the daily Nawa-i-Waqt and The Nation group of newspapers. The CPNE called for the immediate withdraw of “this extremely detrimental action, which violates guarantees on Press freedom enshrined in Article 19 of the Pakistan Constitution.”

The CPNE meeting declared that the use of advertising as a lever to pressure newspapers and their editorial policies has been consistently resisted by the press over the years and the latest action of stoppage of advertising of the governments, at both the federal and provincial levels, “was the worst attack on press freedom in recent years and the newspapers in the country strongly deplore and reject this draconian measure.” The meeting declared that the newspapers in the country have a united stand on rejection of all pressures including use of advertising, as a lever by the Government. The meeting declared that the right of dissent in a democratic society was a principle that has to be adhered to in Pakistan in the service of democracy and in strengthening democratic institutions.

The meeting called upon the President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali and the Information Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmed to immediately withdraw all such actions by the Government as militate against the provisions of the Pakistan Constitution on press freedom. The meeting declared that freedom of expression cannot be suppressed by any direct and indirect measure including use of advertising as a lever. It maintained that the government must ensure that Press freedom is not undermined by draconian official measures while professing that complete Press freedom prevails in the country.

The meeting also deplored the denial and curtailment of federal and provincial government advertisement to a number of publications including Daily Ausaf (Islamabad), daily Balochistan Express (Quetta), daily Ummat (Karachi), daily Jasarat (Karachi), daily Azadi (Quetta), daily Financial Post (Karachi), Monthly Moon Digest, Daily Intikhab (Karachi), Intikhab (Hub, and monthly Shahrag-e-Pakistan (Lahore).

The meeting also strongly condemned the violent attack on the office of Daily Jang (Quetta).
Source: PPF
Date:3/8/2004