Media enjoys unprecedented freedom: PM

Says govt has problem only with fake news or propaganda

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that the media in Pakistan enjoyed an unprecedented freedom but the government had the problem only with the fake news or propaganda.

Addressing the launching ceremony of internship programme under Prime Minister’s Digital Media Development Programme, the prime minister said he had never seen such a slander against a prime minister or minister, not even in the Western democracies.

“I challenge, no government in the history allowed media to act so freely? I guarantee, almost 70% of total TV programmes during last three years were against the government. I guarantee, 70% news items with angling were against us,” the prime minister said.

Read PTI govt not wary of independent judiciary, free media: PM

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, State Minister Farrukh Habib, Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr Shahbaz Gill and Senator Faisal Javed were among the prominent participants besides the newly-selected internees.

The prime minister said the free media or free judiciary should not be a matter of concern for the incumbent government, if it was not involved in corruption or violation of rules. It was the dictators or the corrupt governments which controlled media and judiciary for their protection, he added.

He said even three major dailies of Pakistan, in their headlines, had alleged that the nomination of Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s prime minister was made on the basis of some sort of astrological table.

“Just imagine what could be a slander bigger than that? I would have got damages in millions had this happened in England, which I would have given to my charity,” he remarked.