At the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), the participants strongly condemned the state of the print media and the harsh language used against print media by a representative of the judiciary.
Endorsing CPNE President Kazim Khan’s timely response in this regard, the participants said that disparaging remarks are coming from the very institutions from which justice was expected-remarks that amount to an insult to journalistic institutions.
The members of the meeting said that the print media is currently facing not only invisible pressures and fear from various restrictions, but also severe economic retaliation. These include deprivation of advertisements and non-payment of dues, which those in power use as weapons against the media, thereby hindering the public’s access to information so that the media continues to blindly follow their directives. Under these circumstances, the print media is forced to adopt self-censorship.
The situation in Balochistan has reached an extreme level. On one hand, the provincial government issues instructions to black out news related to political parties opposed to the government, and on the other hand, it refrains from officially declaring those political parties banned through formal notification. If, rarely, any newspaper or magazine fails to comply with these orders, it faces suspension of advertisements and problems related to ABC, declaration, and registration. The restrictions on renewal of declarations give the impression that the government intends to eliminate print media entirely. Under such conditions, the number of newspapers with valid declarations may drop from thousands to just ten or twelve.
The survival of print media seems possible only through digitalization. Therefore, CPNE should organize training programs and seminars for the digitalization of small newspapers.
Attending the meeting as a special guest, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the Sindh government is ready to take all possible steps for the protection and survival of print media. He said it has been a hallmark of the People’s Party to oppose and condemn wrong actions instead of opposing the state or its institutions. He assured CPNE of full cooperation.
At the conclusion of the senior minister’s press conference, the CPNE president said that various political figures address events organized under the CPNE platform, and their statements represent their personal views. CPNE has no association with the views or ideologies of these individuals. The organization believes solely in journalism, the risks associated with it, and the freedom of the press, and efforts in this regard will continue.
The CPNE Standing Committee meeting was presided over by CPNE President Kazim Khan. Those who attended the meeting included Senior Vice President Ayaz Khan, Secretary General Ghulam Nabi Chandio, Finance Secretary Hamid Hussain Abidi, Information Secretary Zia Tanoli, Deputy Secretary General Tanveer Shaukat, Vice President (Sindh) Qazi Asad Abid, Joint Secretary (Sindh) Munazza Seham, Vice President (Balochistan) Munir Ahmed Baloch, Joint Secretary (Balochistan) Arif Baloch, Joint Secretary (Punjab) Waqas Tariq Farooq, Anwar Sajidi, Dr. Jabbar Khattak, Maqsood Yousfi, Shakeel Turabi, Zulfiqar Ahmed, Rahat, Irfan Athar, Irshad Arif, Faqeer Manthar Mengrio, Ijaz-ul-Haq, Mudassir Iqbal, Babar Nizami, Sher Muhammad Khawer, Fazl-ul-Haq, Masood Khan, Mehmood Ahmed Khalid, Bashir Memon, Ayaz Ali Memon, M. Aslam Mian, Mudassir Iqbal, Syed Masoor Zanjani, Muhammad Ishaq, Abdul Samie Mengrio, Salman Qureshi, and Zafar Zaidi.