Protection of journalists: CPNE slams attack on Express offices

Emergency meeting of the body, presided over by senior VP Ilyas Shakir, reassured the group of its support.

KARACHI:

The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) strongly condemned the attack on the Express Media Group building and voiced solidarity with the group.

An emergency meeting of the body, presided over by senior vice-president Ilyas Shakir, reassured the group of its support.

The meeting decided that a media convention for the protection of editors, journalists and workers will be held in which representatives from political parties, all journalist organisations, human rights organisations, social organisations, NGOs and prominent citizens will be invited so that a comprehensive strategy could be devised to tackle such situations in the future.

The council also decided to hold meetings with the provincial chief minister, IG police and other higher-ups to draw their attention towards the serious threats newspaper employees face.

It was also decided that a protest will soon be held by the council for not providing adequate security to editors, journalists and media houses.

Ilyas Shakir (Daily Qaumi Akhbar), CPNE secretary-general Dr Jabbar Khattak (Daily Awami Awaz), Joint secretary Mushtaq Ahmed Qureshi (Monthly Nia Ufaq), Amir Mehmud (Mahnama Kiran), Ghulam Nabi Chandio (Daily Pak), Naseer Hashmi (Daily Ummat), Owais Aslam Ali (PPI News), Tahir Najmi (Daily Express), Kamal Siddiqi (The Express Tribune), Javed Mehar Shamsi (Daily Kaleem), Mukhtar Aqil (Daily Jurrat), Saeed Khawar (Roznam Nawa-e-Waqt), Abdul Khaliq Marshal (Online News), Usma Arab Satti (Watan Magazine), Taqi Alvi (Daily Messenger), Arif Baloch (Daily Balochistan Express), Kamran Rizvi (Daily Nawa-e-Sindh) and Zahida Abbasi (Daily Nawasuj) attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2013.