Govt believes in freedom of press, speech: Jehangir Iqbal
PIO says will resolve problems of regional newspapers
PHOTO: REUTERS
PESHAWAR:
Government firmly believes in freedom of press and freedom of expression and is fully aware of the importance of regional press as much as national newspapers and is striving for resolving their problems, said Principal Information Officer Mian Jehangir Iqbal.
He was talking to editors of local newspapers at a lunch hosted in his honour by Tahir Farooq, vice chairman of CPNE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and chief editor of Daily Ittehad. Peshawar PID Director General Tariq Mahmood Khan and Deputy Director Shabidullah Wazir were also present.
Tahir Farooq welcomed Mian Jehangir Iqbal and threw light on the problems faced by the regional newspapers.
Iqbal said that the procedure of transparent distribution of government advertisements to the regional newspapers would begin for implementation next week and made it clear that no dummy newspaper would be given advertisements.
He emphasised that payments of government advertisements would directly be made to the newspapers saying that there is complete harmony among information minister, secretary information and PIO in this respect.
The PIO also made it clear that controversial payments would in no case be made against any claim.
Iqbal asked the editors and owners of the newspapers to submit in time their suggestions on government new advertisement policy to avoid any confusion towards this end.
He said that CPNE had already given their recommendations on proposed advertisement policy to the government.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2018.
Government firmly believes in freedom of press and freedom of expression and is fully aware of the importance of regional press as much as national newspapers and is striving for resolving their problems, said Principal Information Officer Mian Jehangir Iqbal.
He was talking to editors of local newspapers at a lunch hosted in his honour by Tahir Farooq, vice chairman of CPNE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and chief editor of Daily Ittehad. Peshawar PID Director General Tariq Mahmood Khan and Deputy Director Shabidullah Wazir were also present.
Tahir Farooq welcomed Mian Jehangir Iqbal and threw light on the problems faced by the regional newspapers.
Iqbal said that the procedure of transparent distribution of government advertisements to the regional newspapers would begin for implementation next week and made it clear that no dummy newspaper would be given advertisements.
He emphasised that payments of government advertisements would directly be made to the newspapers saying that there is complete harmony among information minister, secretary information and PIO in this respect.
The PIO also made it clear that controversial payments would in no case be made against any claim.
Iqbal asked the editors and owners of the newspapers to submit in time their suggestions on government new advertisement policy to avoid any confusion towards this end.
He said that CPNE had already given their recommendations on proposed advertisement policy to the government.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2018.