Govt believes in freedom of expression: Fawad

ISLAMABAD – Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Monday said the present democratic government fully believed in the fundamental right of freedom of expression.

The minister was talking to a delegation of journalists belonging to Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and Hazara. He said freedom of media and democracy were intertwined and were indispensable for each other.

The government was determined to ensure the protection and welfare of the journalists, he said adding, “Sincere efforts will be made to provide better facilities for the journalists living in other regions and far flung areas.”

The journalists working in other parts of the country should also get the same facilities available to the journalists in the mainstream media, he added. Fawad said efforts would be made to increase training programmes for the journalists so that they could get opportunities to further enhance their professional capabilities.

The minister assured that struggle of the oppressed Kashmiris for their right to self-determination would be highlighted at every forum. “The brave Kashmiris will defeat the cruelty and barbarism of India with their steadfastness.”

He urged the journalists of Azad Kashmir to effectively use the power of their pen to expose the tyranny of India in occupied Kashmir and bring into focus the struggle of Kashmiris for achieving the right of self-determination. He said he would soon visit the press clubs of Azad Kashmir, Hazara and Gilgit Baltistan.

Source : The Nation