In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that incumbent coalition government not only believed in protecting media and freedom of expression but is also taking steps to promote it. The Prime Minister said that freedom of the press and expression are indispensable constitutional requirement for strengthening the democracy. He also said that the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors is a leading media body and the government will work with it to promote press freedom in the country.
President Arif Alvi called upon the newly-elected leaders of Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) to play role in discouraging and preventing the fake and unverified news from the society. “There is need to create awareness by CPNE in the young generation for positive use of the social media and quick recognition of the fake news”, President Alvi said in a greeting message to the newly-elected President Kazim Khan and other office-bearers of CPNE. He called upon CPNE’s new elected leadership to play their due role in promoting and encouraging welfare of the special people, rights of the women, awareness and training of the people about social evils prevailing in the society.
“CPNE also needs to play its due role in promoting Islamic values and high moral values in the society”, the President remarked. Separately, Chairman Pakistan People’s Party and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday felicitated the newly-elected body of the CPNE. The PPP Chairman extended his best wishes to the new body of the CPNE which includes Editor The Nation Salman Masood as the Vice President. In a message, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari felicitated CPNE’s new President Kazim Khan and General Secretary Mian Amir Mahmood.
| PM says govt believes in protecting media, freedom of expression
President calls upon new leadership to play due role in promoting, encouraging welfare of special people, rights of the women, awareness and training of people about social evils prevailing in the society
He extended his best wishes to Ayaz Khan on being elected as Senior Vice President, Yousuf Nizami as Deputy Secretary General, Ghulam Nabi Chandio as Finance Secretary, Zubair Mehmood as Information Secretary, Dr Jabbar Khattak as CPNE Sindh Vice President, Maqsood Yousufi as CPNE Sindh Joint Secretary, Haider Amin as Punjab CPNE Vice President, Salman Masood as CPNE Islamabad Vice President, Tahir Farooque as CPNE Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Vice President, and Arif Baloch as CPNE Balochistan Vice President. He expressed his fervent hope that the role of CPNE towards cementing the democracy and the freedom of press would be commendable as was the history of the CPNE.
The PPP believed in freedom of media and would extend all possible cooperation for ensuring freedom of expression and press in the country and development of dynamic media, Bilawal added. Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz felicitated-newly elected office- bearers of the CNPE including its President Kazim Khan and Secretary General Amir Mehmood. In his felicitation message, the CM congratulated the newly elected CPNE Senior Vice President Ayaz Khan as well as other office-bearers and expressed good wishes for them. The CM underscored that the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) believes in the freedom of speech adding that the importance of an independent and a responsible journalism in democracy is acknowledged in every respect. He expressed the hope that the newly elected office-bearers would continue to play their positive role to resolve the problems of the media industry.