Print, electronic media urged to refrain from  airing or publishing baseless stories

ISLAMABAD: The Principal Information Office (PIO) Rao Tehsin Ali Khan has written a letter to the Editors of the Newspapers and News Agencies and Director News of the TV channels requesting them to refrain from airing or publishing baseless news.

Contradicting a news item aired by some TV channels, he said that no meeting was held between Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday during the latter’s visit to Lahore.

The PIO termed the news as baseless and concocted adding, the misreported news also contained alleged specific quotes of the prime minister regarding government's position on current political issues.

He observed that correspondents of TV channels, newspapers and news agencies have made it practice to file a story on the weekends, when the prime minister visits Lahore to spend sometime with his family including his mother and brother.

“Making stories out of such routine family gatherings is highly inappropriate,’’ he remarked. Unfortunately, on this weekend too, no official of the PM's Office or Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage was contacted by any reporter to confirm the veracity of contents of the news stories.

He requested the news outlets to kindly refrain from airing or publishing such baseless stories. Officials of the PM’s Office or the Information Ministry including Secretary concerned and Principal Information Officer can be contacted for confirmation of such news before broadcasting or publishing them, the PIO added.