LAHORE: The Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) held a meeting on Thursday at the Aiwan-e-Iqbal to constitute an inquiry commission committee to devise a journalists’ code of conduct.
The meeting observed that since devising code of ethics for journalists was a mandate of the council, it would thrash all aspects and become a party in the case. The participants also unanimously agreed upon the PCP covering the ambit of print media only, however, one of the members, Aysha Ikram, told the meeting that inclusion of electronic media into the PCP was also on the cards.
The meeting was chaired by the council's chairman Raja Shafqat Khan Abbasi and attended by Fasihur Rehman, Wamiq Zubairi, Zia Shahid, Aysha Ikram, Iqbal Jafferi, GN Mughal, Saira Afzal Tarrar, Nasir Zaidi and Bachan Leghari.
On the issue of the Defamation Act of 2004, most members opined that media laws should not be abolished rather necessary amendments should be introduced in it.
"People have the right to approach courts for justice and to address their grievance, they cannot be deprived of their genuine right," they added.
The chair informed the meeting that the access to information law was implemented at federal level and now on their request, governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were also introducing laws in this regard.
The PCP chairman told the meeting that heads of SAARC Press Council were being invited at a moot to be held probably in Islamabad by the end of this year where they would share views regarding the level of press freedom in SAARC countries.
The meeting also demanded an increase in grants given to the PCP by the government.
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