Kazim Khan reelected CPNE president

New president vows to focus on media challenges and reforms

KARACHI:

The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) held its annual meeting on Saturday, during which senior journalist Kazim Khan was unanimously re-elected as president.

According to the announcement, Ayaz Khan was elected senior vice president, Ghulam Nabi Chandio as secretary general, and Tanveer Shaukat as deputy secretary general of the editors' forum.

Arif Baloch was elected finance secretary while Manza Seham was elected as information secretary. Qazi Asad Abid, Shakeel Turabi, Mian Ahmed Hassan, Tahir Farooq, and Anwar Sajidi were also elected as vice presidents for Sindh, Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, respectively.

The joint secretaries include Munir Baloch (Balochistan), Maqsood Yousufi (Sindh), Tanveer Siddiqui (K-P), Babar Nizami (Punjab), and Yahya Sadozai (Rawalpindi-Islamabad).

Other elected members of the standing committee include Hamid Hussain Abidi, Sardar Muhammad Siraj, Sher Muhammad Khawar, Abdul Rehman Mangrio, Zia Tanoli, Mudassir Iqbal, Shahzad Amin, Irfan Athar, Zulfiqar Ahmed Rahat, Abdul Salam Bhat and Mumtaz Ahmed.

The standing committee also includes Sadiq, Faqir Manthar Mangrio, Ayaz Ali Memon, Nasir Khattak, Akmal Chaudhry, Dr Zubair Mahmood, Masood Khan, Fazal Haq, Ali Ahmed Dhillon, Abdul Khaliq Ali, Taimur Aamir, Intizar Hussain Zanjani, Mian Aslam, Hamza Ali Afghan, and Mahmood Alam Khalid.

The results were announced by Ali Raza Lehri, chairman of the three-member Election Committee, who congratulated the newly elected members.

Other members of the committee included Bilal Aslam and Obaid Aleem, while the two-member arbitration committee comprised Chairman Hassan Abbas and member Wazirzada.

The annual general meeting focused extensively on the future of print media, the growing influence of digital media, and the economic challenges faced by the media industry.

Addressing the participants, President Kazim Khan spoke in connection with World Press Freedom Day, stating that 2026 would be observed as a year of protecting and resisting threats to press freedom.

He said resistance would begin "from within," stressing the need to counter fake news propagandists, dummy newspapers, and individuals on the payroll of political parties and institutions who attempt to shape narratives.

He emphasized that not everyone who writes, speaks, or appears on camera can be considered a journalist, adding that journalism, which once commanded respect, is now under threat.

He further stated that powerful forces attempt to control journalism and called for stopping those who summon journalists to offices and issue threats in broad daylight.

Participants of the meeting emphasized that although digital media is rapidly expanding, print media will continue to retain its importance as an authentic and documentary source of information.

Concern was expressed over the significant decline in the distribution of government advertisements, which has led to financial difficulties for newspapers and magazines.

The reduction in budgets, particularly affecting regional newspapers, and the sharp decline in their share of advertisements were described as serious issues.

Speakers urged the government to provide subsidies or financial assistance to print media, ensure fair distribution of advertisements, restore quotas for regional newspapers, and formulate a clear and transparent media policy.

President, PM messages

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday congratulated newly elected office bearers of the CPNE.

The president said journalistic values, fact-based reporting and promotion of national interest are the need of the hour. "Constructive role of media is indispensable for national unity and democratic stability," he added.

In his separate message, the prime minister said a free, responsible and informed media is the main pillar of a democratic society, and vowed the government's support for the promotion of press freedom and resolution of media issues.

PM Sharif said that a free, responsible and informed media is the main pillar of a democratic society and expressed hope that the new leadership of CPNE would promote journalistic values, provide factual reporting and protect national interest.

He said the government would continue to provide all possible support to promote press freedom and resolve media issues.