KARACHI: President Khushnood Ali Khan and Secretary General Amir Mehmood of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) have felicitated the newly elected office bearers of All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), said a joint statement on Thursday.

In a separate joint statement, the two CPNE officials condemned violence against working journalists within the premises of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore demanding the chief minister of Punjab to probe into the matter through an inquiry committee comprising impartial people including representatives of the print media.

Khan and Mehmood expressed hope that the APNS’ newly elected president, Hameed Haroon, and secretary general, Syed Sarmad Ali and the society’s Executive Committee would play due role for the freedom of press in the country. They further hoped that the new body would particularly strive for getting the government’s advertisements ban lifted from various newspapers by all means.

Condemning the manhandling of working media persons in Lahore, the CPNE officials said it had become fashionable for the government and other responsible institutions to talk about the freedom of press, but in reality nobody was serious in taking practical measures to ensure the same. It has become a matter of routine for journalists to face violence, they lamented. The CPNE officials demanded of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take stern action against the culprits.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:4/2/2010