Govt to facilitate media coverage of polling: Punjab minister

LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Ahmed Waqas Riaz has said the provincial government will ensure provision of all necessary facilities to national and international media regarding timely information about electoral process on the polling day.

Punjab government will consider the proposals and recommendations of the journalist community in provision of latest information to the media on the election day. The caretaker information minister said this during a meeting with senior representatives of the electronic media here on Sunday.

Punjab Secretary Information Bilal Ahmed Butt, Public Relations Director General Ms Nabeela Ghazanfer, officers of Information Department along with bureau chiefs of the TV channels attended the meeting.

The minister said that conducting free and fair elections was top the responsibility of the caretaker government and they were restricted to their constitutional mandate. While talking to the electronic media journalists, he said the caretaker provincial government was ensuring all necessary arrangements to make the forthcoming election process transparent and foolproof, for which, the process of transfers and postings against administrative posts and police ranks had started.

During question and answer session, the minister said that media was the watchdog and its positive criticism helped out every government to reform any laps in the administrative structure.

"We appreciate the role of the electronic media in sensitising society and government for the betterment of the masses", he added. Secretary Information Bilal Ahmed Butt informed the media regarding the steps being taken by the government for redress of the grievances of general public as well as for administrative arrangements being made for conducting fair elections.

The minister said, "We will perform our duty with national approach and honesty. The Punjab caretaker government was fully aware of the law and order situation and it will cooperate with the Election Commission of Pakistan on the election day.” The representatives of the electronic media invited the minister and the secretary information to visit their media houses, and they accepted it.