• March 11, 2004
• Freedom of Expression, News Archives
• Web Desk

KARACHI – The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFLU) has declared the government’s ban on advertisements to daily Nawa-i-Waqt as ‘contradictory to the spirit of freedom of press’ and demanded that this step should be revoked immediately so as to develop culture of freedom of expression in the country.

In a Press statement the PFUJ President Ahfazur Rehman observed that ban on advertisements of daily Nawa-i-Waqt was synonymous to an interdiction on the right of difference of opinion, which would greatly damage democratic values.

He said that according to country’s constitution, all schools of thought had the right to propagate their ideologies and this right also provided a solid foundation for the freedom of Press. He said until now no clarification had come forth from the government to elucidate the reason behind the ban on Nawa-i-Waqt, due to which the general belief in the journalistic and political circles was that it was being punished for differing with e government policies in some matters.

The PFUJ President said the government attitude over the matter was unjust, as government was not entitled to make such lopsided decisions. ‘If in the government’s opinion Nawa-i­Waqt’s policy was harmful to survival of the country, it is free to refer court of law, where both parties would have the freedom to express their viewpoints,’ he stated. He said the government should immediately restart advertisements to the newspaper so that it could be proved that, unlike past governments, the present government did not believe in using the allocation of government advertisements as a means of blackmail or threat against newspapers.
Source: The Nation
Date:3/11/2004