Minister lauds media role for country

CPNE SG Aijazul Haq stressed the need of formulating a unified ‘code of ethics’ for the all segments of the media

KARACHI: Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday underlined the need for joint efforts for a ‘democratic’ and ‘stable’ Pakistan.

“The government believes in media freedom, but journalism with responsibility is need of the hour,” said the minister while talking to the office-bearers and members of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) at the CPNE head-office during ‘Meet the Editors’ programme.

Marriyum said the legislative process for the security and safety of journalists was under way and a bill to this effect would be tabled in parliament early next year in consultation with CPNE and other stakeholders.

Earlier, in his address of welcome, CPNE President Zia Shahid assured the minister of all possible help to strengthen democracy and media freedom.

CPNE Secretary General Aijazul Haq stressed the need of formulating a unified ‘code of ethics’ for the all segments of the media. He said requirements of responsible journalism dictated that a journalist or media house could hide the source of news.

Haq expressed concern over restriction -- though temporary -- being imposed on some TV channels and condemned it. He called for an increase in the budget of print media and added along with daily newspapers, periodicals should also be given more advertisements.

Besides the CPNE president and secretary general, the meeting was attended by Vice President Aamer Mahmood, Finance Secretary Ghulam Nabi Chandio, Dr Jabbar Khattak, Ikram Sehgal, Ilyas Shakir, Qazi Asad Abid, Zafar Abbas, Abdul Khaliq Ali, Rafiq Afghan, Maqsood Yousufi, Ahmed Iqbal Baloch, Qazi Sajjad Akbar, Javed Mehar Shamsi, Tahir Najmi, Faisal Zahid Malik, Babar Ayaz, Saeed Khawar, Abdur Rehman Mugrio, Muhammad Tahir, Muzaffar Ijaz, Younus Maher, Salman Qureshi, Rafiq Ahmed Pirzada, Sher Muhammad Khawar, Arif Baloch, Abid Ali Syed, Bashir Memon, Kashif Memon, Syed Kamran Rizvi, Dr Touseef, Ali Younus Riaz, Waheed Jamal, Mehmood Alam Khalid, Zahida Abbasi, Fauzia Shaheen, Haseena Jatoi, Bilqees Jihan and others.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2016.