Tarar assures APNS of resolving issues faced by newspaper industry

Tarar acknowledged the role of print media in countering fake and said media was playing an important role in the country

By APP

May 09, 2024

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar speaks to the media. — APP/File

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar has said the federal government gives utmost importance to the development of print media and vowed to amicably resolve the problems faced by newspapers.

The information minister expressed these views as he attended a meeting of the Executive Committee of All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) held here, which was presided over by APNS President Naz Afreen Sehgal Lakhani.

Tarar acknowledged the role of print media in countering fake and said media was playing an important role in the country. He assured the APNS members for resolution of the problems faced by the newspaper industry. Secretary General APNS Sarmad Ali welcomed the federal minister and apprised him of the problems faced by the print media.

He emphasized increase in rates of the government’s advertisements and the initial payment of the arrears of the member publications, said a statement issued by APNS. The APNS officials stressed the need for removing the hurdles in renewal of registration through the Press Registrar Office and urged simplification of the procedure. The meeting also discussed implementation of regional quota of advertisements and called for exemption of General Sales Tax, customs and duties on import of printing stuff such as ink and printing plates in the upcoming budget.

The meeting was attended by Naz Afrin Sehgul Lakhani (President), Imtenan Shahid (Senior Vice President), Sarmad Ali (General Secretary), S.M. Munir Jilani (Joint Secretary), Waseem Ahmed (Daily Awam Quetta), Mohsin Bilal (Daily Ausaf), Humayun Tariq ( (Daily Business Report), Ansar Mehmood Bhatti (Monthly Center Line), Muhammad Waqaruddin (Daily Dunya), Javed Mehr Shamsi (Daily Kaleem), Rukhsana Saulat Salimi (Weekly Nikhar), Bilal Mehmood (Daily Nawai Waqt), Sardar Khan Niazi (Daily Business Report), Magazine Naya Rukh, Faisal Zahid Malik (Daily Pakistan Observer), Humayun Gulzar (Daily Siasat), Irfan Athar (Daily Tejarat), Syed Haroon Shah (Daily Wahdat), and Nasir Dad Baloch (Daily Sindh Sujag). Mehtab Khan (Daily Ausaf) and Tahir Mughal (Daily Nawa-i-Pak) attended the meeting as special observers. Fauzia Shaheen (Monthly Dastak), Zahida Abbasi (Nau Saj Daily), Mohsin Syal (Aftab Daily), and Tahir Qureshi (Nawa-i-Ufaq) joined through the Zoom meeting.