Islamabad, (Parliament Times) : The first meeting of the Islamabad/Rawalpindi Committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) was held to discuss and resolve the challenges faced by the print media industry.
Press Information Officer Mubashir Hasan announced that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has approved a 20% increase in government advertisement rates for newspapers, which will be included in the federal budget and notified soon. He assured the committee that other problems faced by newspapers and magazines would be addressed.
Committee Chairman Yahya Sadozai proposed increasing the advertisement quota for Magazines in particular and improving distribution among CPNE member newspapers. He appreciated the improvement in advertisement quantum under the present government and appealed for speedy payment of dues.
The committee expressed concern over incidents against press freedom in Lahore, Quetta, and Ghotki and demanded improvement in the situation.
CPNE Secretary General Aijaz Ul Haq discussed the issue of Lahore High Court advertisements not being allocated to CPNE member newspapers and announced that a letter would be sent to the court soon.
Members emphasized the need for CPNE to raise its voice in various forums to highlight the importance and usefulness of print media. Suggestions were made to organize seminars and conventions to discuss problems faced by print media and find solutions.
The meeting was attended by senior members, including Deputy Chairman Rafi Niazi, Mr Tahir Farooq, Rao Khalid Mehmood, Shakeel Turabi, Mumtaz Ahmed Sadiq, Abdul Salam Butt, Mian Fazal Elahi, and Tariq Mehmood. The committee thanked PIO Mubasher Hassan for his special participation.