Rural Media Network Pakistan Supports Regional Journalism through JAP Training Programme and Journalist Support Awards
Training programme for 14 press clubs of Journalists Alliance Pakistan’s Rural & Town Press Clubs South Punjab Chapter planned for October; two young journalists to receive support awards on August 13
Ahmedpur East, August 12, 2026: Rural Media Network Pakistan (RMNP) will support a new journalism training programme for 14 press clubs affiliated with the Journalists Alliance Pakistan (JAP) – Rural & Town Press Clubs South Punjab Chapter, with the programme planned for the last week of October.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Uch Sharif Press & Media Club (Registered) held on August 10 at Panjnad Hotel, Uch Sharif, which was chaired by Ehsan Ahmed Sehar, Founder of Journalists Alliance Pakistan and Patron-in-Chief of the Uch Sharif Press & Media Club (Registered).
The meeting reviewed arrangements for the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected office-bearers of the JAP South Punjab Chapter and finalized initial plans for the October training programme. The proposed training will bring together journalists associated with 14 rural and town press clubs and will draw upon the longstanding journalism-development experience of Rural Media Network Pakistan.
RMNP, founded in 2004 as a media development organization working to strengthen journalism in rural Pakistan, has extensive experience in journalist training, press freedom, journalist safety, ethical journalism and capacity building. Over the years, it has implemented journalism training and media-development programmes with international partners, including UNESCO and the Doha Centre for Media Freedom.
RMNP and JAP: a platform for regional journalists
The Journalists Alliance Pakistan describes itself as “A United Voice of Regional Journalists” and is a joint initiative of Daily Nawa-i-Ahmedpur Sharqia and Rural Media Network Pakistan.
The alliance has developed a network through which journalists and local press clubs can communicate, cooperate and pursue professional development. However, the establishment and management of individual press clubs remains with the local journalists themselves.
RMNP’s role is primarily that of a media-development and training organization, bringing its experience, professional network and training capacity to the benefit of journalists working in rural and town areas.
The October programme is therefore intended to translate RMNP’s long experience of journalism capacity building into a structured training opportunity for journalists working through the JAP South Punjab network.
Uch Sharif meeting also approves memorial awards
The August 10 meeting also approved three memorial cash awards in honour of late journalists Rasool Bakhsh Naseem, Fazal Jilani and Taj Muhammad Rajput.
Those attending the meeting included Muhammad Ejaz Khan Pathan, President of the Uch Sharif Press & Media Club (Registered); Irshad Ahmed Shad, Chief Organizer; writer Naeem Ahmed Naz; Ijaz Ahmed Khan, JAP South Punjab Deputy Secretary General; and Ahmed Ali Chaudhry, Chairman of the Safety Commission.
The meeting also discussed arrangements for the forthcoming oath-taking ceremony of the new office-bearers of the JAP Rural & Town Press Clubs South Punjab Chapter.
Two young journalists to receive support awards on August 13
As part of the same broader effort to encourage and support emerging journalists, Journalists Alliance Pakistan will present Journalist Support Cash Awards totaling PKR 20,000 to two young journalists on Thursday, August 13, at 12:30 p.m. at Punjab College, Ahmedpur East.
The award funds have been provided by Muhammad Ejaz Khan Pathan, President of the Uch Sharif Press & Media Club (Registered). He had announced the awards during the founding session of the JAP Rural & Town Press Clubs South Punjab Chapter and subsequently handed the funds to the Daily Nawa-i-Ahmedpur Sharqia team.
The selection of the two recipients has been entrusted to JAP Founder Ehsan Ahmed Sehar.
In keeping with the principle that the support should benefit journalists outside the founder’s own organizations, Sehar has decided that staff members of Daily Nawa-i-Ahmedpur Sharqia and members of the Ahmedpur Union of Journalists Workers (AUJW), Ahmedpur East, will not be eligible for these awards.
Two young journalists from outside the two organizations will therefore be selected.
The August 13 awards have been promoted as a joint initiative of Daily Nawa-i-Ahmedpur Sharqia and Rural Media Network Pakistan, reflecting the wider journalism-development objectives associated with the JAP platform.
Continuing a tradition of supporting young journalists
The initiative follows an earlier journalist-support programme at Samasata Press Club, where two cash awards of PKR 20,000 each were presented in May 2026.
The Samasata awards followed an initiative of Ehsan Ahmed Sehar, under which Syed Waqar-ul-Haq Shah, President of Anjuman-e-Tajran Samasata (Samasata Traders Association), announced two awards for deserving journalists of the Samasata Press Club. The awards were subsequently distributed on the recommendation of the press club.
The Uch Sharif initiative represents a continuation of this effort to encourage young and deserving journalists at the grassroots level and to encourage local institutions and community representatives to contribute to journalist welfare.
Sehar has expressed appreciation to Muhammad Ejaz Khan Pathan for providing the funds for the two Uch Sharif awards.
Focus on rural and town journalists
The planned October training programme is expected to provide an opportunity for journalists from the 14 press clubs to strengthen their professional skills and better understand issues related to responsible journalism, journalist safety, ethical reporting and the changing requirements of digital media.
For RMNP, the initiative is consistent with its longstanding focus on building the capacity of journalists outside Pakistan’s major urban media centres.
The organization has historically placed particular emphasis on journalists working in rural and underserved areas, where reporters often work with fewer professional resources and limited access to structured training.
Through its association with JAP, RMNP is able to contribute this experience to a broader network of rural and town journalists while leaving the organization and administration of individual press clubs in the hands of their respective local journalist communities.
The October training programme, together with the continuing journalist-support awards, is expected to provide a practical foundation for strengthening professional journalism at the grassroots level in South Punjab.
