CPNE asks Centre not to suppress Sindh newspapers

KARACHI: The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has expressed serious concerns over a ban of government advertisements for newspapers of Sindh and demanded that the Federal Information Ministry stop ‘suppressing’ media organisations of the province.
A meeting of editors of Sindh newspapers, presided over by the CPNE Sindh Committee acting chairman Ghulam Nabi Chandio, was held to discuss the ban on issuance of job, auction, sale and purchase, tender notice, public welfare, development projects and public awareness ads to newspapers of the province.
Later the meeting passed a resolution which said the federal government which is totally ignoring Sindh newspapers due to its ‘anti-Sindh policy’ should also stop using the natural and mineral resources from province including its coal, oil, gas and ports and revenues.
The resolution demanded that Prime Minister Imran Khan and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry should immediately ensure a fair and impartial distribution of advertisements to newspapers of Sindh in the manner of the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.
The resolution said the ban is pushing the Sindh newspaper organisations into a financial crisis and complicating problems of thousands of journalists and other media workers by causing unemployment. “It is also depriving people of their constitutional right of access to information and awareness,” the resolution said, adding that “the steps are also detrimental for federal unity”.
The meeting was addressed by the CPNE Secretary General Dr Jabbar Khattak and senior members including Aijazul Haq, Amir Mehmood, Qazi Asad Abid, Hamid Hussain Abidi, Adnan Malik, Anwar Sajidi, Tahir Farooq, Sher Muhammad Kharo, Abdul Khaliq Ali, Abdur Rehman Mangrio, Muhammad Tahir, Muzaffar Aijaz, Ahmed Iqbal Baloch, Muhammad Younis Mehar, Rafiq Ahmed Pirzada, Mian Tariq Javed, Usman Arib Sati, Faisal Shah Jahan, Sohbat Burro, Muhammad Jafar Jatoi, Bashir Ahmed Memon, Raza Shah, Dr Waqar Yousuf Azimi, Qazi Sehmeer, Salman Qureshi, Amir Khatak, Tariq Aziz, Rafaqat Tanoli, Ali Bin Younus, Mehmood Alam Khalid, Zahida Abbasi, Haseena Jatoi And Sidra Kanwal.
Source :The Express Tribune