Rawalpindi, (Parliament Times) : All Kashmir Newspapers Society has categorically rejected the government committee formed in Azad Kashmir for media regulation as a violation of basic human rights and the strangulation of independent media. The government has demanded that the Prime Minister, Cabinet, and all stakeholders, including the All Kashmir Newspapers Society and the representative organizations of journalists, should be taken on board in the preparation of the bill and a committee should be formed again.
This demand was made in the Executive Committee meeting chaired by All Kashmir Newspapers Society President Amjad Chaudhry.
Senior Vice President of the organization Sher Baz Munir Chaudhry, General Secretary Zaheer Ahmed Jagwal, Vice President Tanveer Ahmad Tanoli, and Finance Secretary Ch. Javed Iqbal also attended the meeting.
The executive body of the All Kashmir Newspapers Society made it clear to the government that AKNS will not tolerate restrictions on freedom of the press and freedom of expression. We reject the proposed black laws in Azad Kashmir which are being tried to impose restrictions on the press.
If a law is made without taking the stakeholders into confidence, it will not be acceptable. In the meeting, it was decided to form a committee that will put demands before the government in which the possible action against the senior journalists will be discussed while suggesting to the government not to make any law to restrict the freedom of the press.
Addressing the meeting, the speakers said that if the voice of the media is suppressed, then nothing will be left, everyone has to stand with the media to save the state. The executive committee also expressed concern over the state of print media and press freedom in the country. The Executive Committee through a resolution expressed deep concern over the financial situation of the print media due to which newspapers are suffering from severe financial crisis, many of which are on the verge of collapse.
The committee requested the government to pay the long pending arrears of the newspaper industry as soon as possible. The volume of advertisements should be increased so that the newspaper industry would survive in the present situation. The executive committee said that news is circulating about senior journalists of the state that the government wants to arrest them by filing an FIR against them under the guise of cybercrime laws. There is serious concern over these news, if the government or any organization disagrees with any of their news or position, there is a forum of AKNS for this.
A committee consisting of senior persons has also been established under the chairmanship of President AKNS Mr. Amjad Chaudhry for government institutional complaints. Its members are senior journalists Sardar Zulfikar, Zaheer Jagwal, and Afaq Shah. There are forums for redressal of grievances related to newspapers and journalists.
In the recent past, there have been reports that some ministers have been making efforts to take action against some newspapers and journalists to satisfy their ego and the institutions have made efforts, but the media community is united and ready to fight any illegal and unconstitutional measures together.
AKNS stands with all its members and professional journalists and reserves the right to respond fully against any illegal and retaliatory action at all levels.
