APNS demands govt to scrap proposed media policy

The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) should speed up its struggle along with the other media organisations to counter the proposed media policy and clarify to the government that the proposed policy is not acceptable. This was stated during a meeting of the APNS Federal Capital Committee held under the chair of Khushnood Ali Khan, who rejected the government’s new categorisation of newspapers saying such a move must have been taken with the due consultation of the APNS.

The committee suggested that the APNS should continue its struggle until the government decides to award advertisements only to the APNS members’ because the APNS only gives membership to those who fulfill the necessary requirements.

It also proposed solidarity among the print and the electronic media owners, journalist organisations and workers. Highlighting the importance of the advertising agencies, the meeting declared the decision to distribute advertisements without involving the advertising agencies would render thousands of workers of the advertising agency jobless. He added any reservations on that count must be mutually addressed.

The Federal Capital Committee also proposed constituting a joint action committee to hold dialogue with the government on the proposed media policy. It asked the APNS and other media organizations to devise alternate ways for the development of the media. It also recommended that the APNS, the media organizations, joint action committees and advertising agencies should propose concrete proposals for the distribution of government advertisements and for taking corrective measures in this regard.

It said the conditions attached for determining the government advertisement tariff must be be kept in view while taking up the issue of the regional media outlets.

The meeting while rejecting the proposed policy termed it as a death knell for the media outlets, especially for the newspapers and would greatly damage the media industry.

While unanimously rejecting the government's proposal, the meeting suggested taking extreme measures if the government does not withdraw the policy.

The meeting was attended by Khushnood Ali Khan (Daily Sahafat), Inayatullah Khan (Daily Patriot), Mehtab Khan (Daily Ausaf), Zahid Ekram (Daily Al-Akhbar), Danish Iftikhar (Daily Asaas), Tahir Mughal (Daily Naw-e-Pak), Gohar Zahid Malik (Daily Pakistan Observer) and Unsar Mehmood Bhutti (Monthly Centre Line).