PM won’t patronise media groups with foreign interest: Fayyaz

LAHORE: The PTI government is media-friendly and federal and provincial governments are issuing advertisements regularly and their bills have been paid, said provincial Information and Culture Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan while addressing the oath-taking ceremony of Akhbar Farosh Union Wednesday at the Alhamra Arts Council.

The minister said every institution is respectable for the government. According to him, those media groups which promote international interests, Prime Minister Imran Khan will not provide patronise them.

He said those media workers who get Rs10,000 salary are being laid off while who get Rs4 to 8 million salaries are being given importance. It will not be tolerated. The PTI has made advertisements policy, he added.

Ch Nazir president newspapers sellers association said journalism and politics are two wheels of democracy which go hand-in-hand. Journalism always strengthens politics, he added. According to him, 4,000 hawkers deliver newspapers in Lahore in one hour to serve the nation. Imran Khan is a blessing for the country. He should protect the media industry and do something to eliminate the crisis.

Media owners, circulation managers, writers, photographers and others attended the ceremony. They demanded the government to protect this industry. According to them, media industry is facing crisis and they appealed to the premier to save it. Imran should revisit policy towards this industry, they added. The speakers said media industry is facing financial crisis during the PTI government.

The minster administered oath to office-bearers of the union and congratulated them. It is pertinent to mention that these representatives were elected unopposed. Ch Nazir Ahmad and Sajjad Azeem were elected unopposed president and vice president of the union respectively. Senior vice president Imtiaz Ahmad, general secretary Muhammad Illyas, joint secretary Rana Maqsood, office secretary Awais Qureshi, finance secretary Malik Tanvir and secretary information Sh Umar Yaseen took oath.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference at Al-Hamra Arts Council in connection with the department’s 100-day performance, Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan said the press laws prepared by Information Department concerned with the licensing of books and the freedom of expression in all products in the printing press, especially newspapers.

He said the previous regime had not adopted the press laws while the subject was devolved to the provinces in the wake of the 18th Constitutional Amendment. Consequently, matters were being run in the absence of an appropriate legislation framework, he added. He said that the present regime after holding the office took steps to enact the press laws and a bill “Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Act, 2018.”

Under the Act, the provincial audit bureau of circulation press registrar offices would be established which would provide a platform to the printers and publishers as well for redress of their grievances.

Moreover, the present government has revised the Advertisement Policy, 2018 under which categorisation of newspapers would be specified into regional, provincial and national category. This policy would outline the advertisement rates for print, electronic, social and digital media.