The Standing Committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Publishers (CPNE) deliberated on Saturday on the challenges of press freedom, the arbitrary use of the law on electronic crimes (PECA), the practice of linking government advertisements with favorable coverage and the growing distinction between professional journalists and autonomous media practitioners.
Members of all over the country have approved a resolution presented by Ali Ahmed Dhillon, urging the government to ensure that no fir or action under PECA is launched against any journalist without prior consultation with the media bodies or revision by a neutral committee.
Friday, the Minister of Information, Attaullah Tarar, praised the role of the media in the fight against Indian stories during the recent Pakistani-Indian conflict, describing the period as “extraordinary circumstances”.
He stressed that the force of Pakistan did not live in number or resources but “having the truth”. “The truth cannot hide or be a country,” he said.
The main member, Dr. Jabbar Khattak, underlined the need for an ethics code for CPNE members to guarantee self-responsibility. He added that accessless access to information was essential to combat the threat of false news.
The meeting was followed by the president of the CPNE, Kazim Khan, the main vice-president Ayaz Khan, the secretary general Ghulam Nabi Chandio and other officials.
