KARACHI - Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar on Saturday paid tributes to media workers and said that they were also fighting against COVID-19 from front line just like doctors and paramedical staff.

Talking to Karachi Press Club members while giving them surgical masks, Akhtar said that in coronavirus pandemic, reporters, cameramen, photographers and other media workers were performing their duties which was commendable. Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Syed Saif ur Rehman, Senior Director Coordination Masood Alam, Director Media Management Ali Hassan Sajid and other officials were also present on the occasion.

He was of the view that the purpose of providing masks to Karachi Press Club was to ensure that media persons who were working on the field should adopt precautionary measures.”Reporters, cameramen, photographers and other media workers are informing the people about facts by placing their lives at stakem,” he added.

The Mayor said that responsibilities of electronic and print media have even increased more in the current circumstances. “The role of media is very important and Pakistani media has done great job and done responsible reporting in exceptional circumstances,” he added. “When the residents are asked to stay at their homes, mediapersons come out of their homes to apprise the people of the current situation,” he added while asking media to boost moral of the citizens through their reporting.

He said that the people were depressed owing to current circumstances and now electronic and print media should give them a hope. Akhtar said that the governments were trying their best to overcome Novel coronavirus and hopefully it would succeed soon.

 “It is surely a sign of concern the way people dying of coronavirus across the world but we have to fight against it as a nation,” he added.