Private Television channels before year’s end: Anwer Mahmood
ISLAMABAD- Pakistan’s media played constructive role by maintaining high standards of professionalism, credibility and objectivity while reporting the event, during the recent Pakistan India Summit at Agra.
This was the unanimous view of the speakers while addressing a seminar on “The role of Pakistan Media at Agra Summit”, organised by. English-language daily The Pakistan Observer here on Monday.
Federal Secretary for Information and Media Development Syed Anwar Mahmood presided over the seminar while the Director General ISPR, Major General Rashid Qureshi graced the occasion as chief guest. The seminar was addressed by a number of country’s leading media luminaries.
Addressing the seminar, the Information Secretary praised the Pakistani and foreign media for maintaining high professional standards while reporting events of the Summit.
He said, “We must acknowledge and pay tributes to the media, irrespective of which country they belonged to, for covering the Summit in New Delhi as well as Agra.”
The Information Secretary also lauded the private Indian media, saying majority of which allowed opportunity to Pakistani journalists to present their point of view.
He also commanded Pakistan’s independent media for acting as just professional while covering the Summit.
“It is a matter of pride for us that our journalists worked as true professionals. Our media is second to none in objectivity, professionalism and honesty,” Anwar Mahmood maintained.
He said, “the government believes in freedom of the Press and President Pervez Musharraf has reaped the fruits of the independent media policy seeds of which were sowed by himself on October 17, 1999.”
The Information Secretary said that President Musharraf is firm believer in what he described as openness, candidness and frankness in discussing the matters.
He said the independent media policy pursued by the government has strengthened professionalism in the country.
Syed Anwar Mahmood said the government has finalised a draft law for launching private television channels in the country, adding the draft law would be put before the cabinet in few weeks for approval.
He expressed the hope that private television channels would be launched before end of the current year.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Director General of the ISPR, Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi observed that credit goes to President Pervez Musharraf for the success of our media strategy, which is based on dissemination of factual information to the international media.
He said, “We established trustworthy relationship with the world’s leading media organisations and told them the factual position.” “We did not tell them which we were not authorised,” he added.
He also eulogised the role the Pakistani print media played while reporting the events of the Summit objectively and hoped it will continue its constructive role in the future as well.
Principal Information Officer, Ishfaq Gondal observed that success of the Pakistan’s diplomacy at the Summit was because of excellent statesmanship demonstrated by President Musharraf.
He said the breakfast conference of President Musharraf with the Indian media luminaries had left enormous impact on Pakistan’s diplomatic success in the Summit.
The seminar was also addressed by former Information Secretary Lt Gen. (Retd) Mujeebur Rehman, Editor-in-Chief Pakistan Observer and Secretary General Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) Zahid Malik, Ghulam Akbar, Chief Editor daily Al-Akhbar and Hamid Mir, Editor daily Ausaf.
Source: The Nation
Date:7/31/2001
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