‘Press free in Pakistan’
Leadership understands importance of media
WASHINGTON: The Press in Pakistan is free and the leadership recognises importance of the media in a democratic dispensation, a spokesman of the Pakistan Embassy wrote in a letter published in an American newspaper on Sunday.
Press Minister at the Embassy Akram Shaheedi referred to expansion of independent electronic media in Pakistan in recent years and pointed out in a letter to the Editor of Chicago Tribune that it has been under this government that around 50 private channels launched their transmission.
There was only one stateowned TV channel previously, he added and questioned observations in an editorial of the newspaper vis-a-vis freedom of the Press and other matters, terming them as misplaced.
He stated the government has assured withdrawal of recent amendments in an Ordinance after media representatives met with government functionaries and added this fact reflects that “the political leadership understands the importance of media in a democratic dispensation.”
On the democratic process, he wrote “the government will hold fair, free and impartial elections by the end of this year and hundreds of observers and media representatives will be invited to cover the elections.”
The spokesman also drew the attention of the newspaper to the fact that “the National Accountability Bureau has recovered billions of rupees from the defaulters and corrupt who were not returning the public money by using their political clout during the former regimes.”
Commenting on the judicial case, Shaheedi wrote the President acted in accordance with the Constitution of the country to send the reference against the Chief justice to the Supreme Judicial Council.
He added the Supreme Judicial Council consists of senior judges of the superior courts and the government has made it abundantly clear to accept the verdict.
Source: The Nation
Date:6/18/2007
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