ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday urged the media to project the soft image of the country.
Inaugurating the third roundtable conference on advertising in Pakistan here, the prime minister said, “A vibrant and responsible media is an important ingredient of every society and democracy.”
He said it is important that the media make Pakistanis proud of being what they are, and of their country. “We welcome criticism, as it makes us better,” he said and stressed that both sides of the equation needed to be seen and any judgment should be based on facts.
He asked the media to always keep national interests supreme. He said the country has more than 50 private TV channels as compared to the only state-owned TV channel in the past. Shaukat said the media should help the government highlight the needs of those affected by the recent floods and cyclone. He said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) set up after the Oct 8 earthquake of 2005 was assisting the people affected by the recent natural calamity.
Addressing the conference, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Tariq Azeem Khan said media advertising agencies should sit together and evolve a tangible, acceptable and practical code of ethics to discourage what he called “a tide of misleading advertisements”.
He said owners of media and advertising groups have a moral obligation to banish this trend. “It is an apt time that the people working in this sector should work out a code of ethics with consensus for the mutual benefits of the sector and the general public,” he added.
The minister said the government does not interfere in the affairs of advertising agencies but a good sense of national responsibility should prevail. Meanwhile, addressing the first convocation of the Foundation University at the Convention Centre, the prime minister said access to education is the basic right of every individual.
Emphasising the importance of education, he said the government was taking various steps to promote education at all levels. He said illiterate nations couldn’t progress, adding that the government was taking measures and making maximum efforts to promote educational facilities throughout the country.
The prime minister said education enhances human capabilities, creates opportunities for individual progress and social mobility. He congratulated the graduating students and appreciated students who completed their degrees with distinction. “We must build up an education system based upon clear objectives, reflecting a healthy balance between academic pursuits and extra-curricular activities,” he said.
Source: The News
Date:7/3/2007
