Sindh assures CPNE of clearing newspapers’ dues

Secretary Information says CPNE to be consulted for devising fair distribution of ads

KARACHI: In line with the Supreme Court order, the Sindh government will pay all the outstanding dues of newspapers in the province in one-month time so that the newspapers and magazines could come out of their current financial crises.

Sindh Secretary Information Imran Atta Soomro gave this assurance to Sindh-based newspapers in a ‘meet the editors programme’ organised by the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE).

Soomro said the Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has instructed the ministry to pay all the dues for running government advertisements. After instructions of the SC, the payment to newspapers will also be made soon.

He requested all the CPNE members from Sindh to submit details of their dues to the information department. He also announced that the CPNE will be consulted for devising fair distribution of advertisements and transparent system of payments.

“Details of the issued advertisements will be displayed on website to make the process transparent. The minimum advertisement quota will be issued to the newspapers and magazines of Sindh regularly.”

The CPNE senior member Javed Mehar Shamsi said in case the minimum advertisements are not provided to the newspapers of the CPNE members they should inform the CPNE secretariat.

Earlier, the CPNE members strongly condemned ‘attack’ on the Karachi Press Club and declared it an attempt to curbs freedom of press and media organisations.



The CPNE secretary general Dr Jabbar Khattak said newspaper organisations – including journalists and workers –are facing an economic crisis because of non-payment of the dues that the Sindh government has to pay to newspapers and magazines.

Those who attended the meeting included by the CPNE former secretary general Aijazul Haq, senior members Tahir Farooq, Arif Baloch, Amir Mehmood, Hamid Hussain Abidi, Ghulam Nabi Chandio, Tahir Najmi, Maqsood Yousfi, Abdul Hkaliq Ali, Abdul Rehman Mangrio, Muhammad Tahir and Muzaffar Aijaz.

Saeed Khawar, Javed Mehar Shamsi, Muhammad Younus Mehar, Kahshif Hussain Memon, Rafiq Ahmed Pirzada, Sher Muhammad Kharo, Mian Tariq Javed, Nasir Dad Baloch, Salman Qureshi, Sohbat Burro, Bashir Ahmed Memon, Raza Shah, Amir Khattak, Nasir Khattak, Saad Abbasi, Rafaquat Tanoli, Abdul Qayoom Khan,  Mehmood Alam Khalid, Nasarullah Jamali, Haroon Rasheed, Zahida Abbasi, Haseena Jatoi, Sidra Kanwal and Mihrunissa Jalil and others also took attended the programme.