In a pivotal meeting at Ali Akbar House, Islamabad, the Federal Committee of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) highlighted a severe financial and operational crisis facing the newspaper industry, calling on the government to urgently address these issues. The session, chaired by Faisal Zahid Malik, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Pakistan Observer, was attended by key figures from major national newspapers.
The committee reviewed the dire state of the industry, describing it as being “virtually on a ventilator” and urged for resolution of the problems the industry was facing. They discussed prolonged payment delays from the Press Information Department (PID) and unfair practices in distributing government advertisements. The situation has persisted despite the current administration being in power for over three years, with no significant improvement in the newspaper sector’s welfare.
Participants at the meeting, including representatives from Daily Nawa-e-Waqt, The Nation, Daily Pakistan, and others, expressed their dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and its allied departments for not distributing advertisements justly and equitably. They noted that such actions contributed to the financial instability of newspapers.
The committee unanimously demanded that at least 50% of the outstanding payments be cleared by June 2026. They also discussed the PID’s unsatisfactory role in recovering dues from other government clients and warned that APNS will again begin suspending government clients if they don’t pay even after six months.
In response to these ongoing challenges, the APNS members urged immediate action, proposing meetings with Attaullah Tarar, the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, alongside the Secretary Information and the Principal Information Officer. The goal of these meetings would be to rectify concerns.
To ensure continued focus on these critical issues, the participants resolved to convene another Federal Committee meeting soon to assess any progress. They stressed the importance of unity within the APNS ranks to effectively advocate for necessary reforms.
