On June 13, the review committee met under the leadership of Punjab Minister for Information Azma Bokhari to address challenges in the media sector and recommend measures for the welfare of journalists across the province.

During the session, the minister underlined the importance of ensuring timely salary payments by media organisations to their staff, emphasising it as a fundamental step towards protecting the rights and welfare of media professionals.

In a significant policy shift, the committee approved the relaxation of the experience criteria for the issuance of Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) accreditation cards. Under the revised guidelines, journalists with at least five consecutive years of experience in the field will now be eligible for the card, reducing the earlier requirement of ten years.

The meeting was informed that a total of 2,725 journalists across Punjab have received accreditation cards as of 2025. The committee also decided to formulate a clear and mutually agreed definition of a journalist to ensure transparency and consistency in future regulations and policies related to the profession.

Representatives from key journalist bodies, including the Lahore Press Club, Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), and other media organisations, participated in the discussion and shared their input on media-related issues.

Owners and editors of various publications pledged their cooperation with the Punjab government in the effort to eliminate dummy newspapers from the industry. The review committee acknowledged and appreciated the efforts of the DGPR for the timely release of government advertisement payments to media outlets.

Among those present were Punjab Secretary of Information Tahir Raza Hamdani, DGPR Ghulam Sagheer Shahid, Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari, and senior journalists including Kazim Khan, Naveed Kashif, Hafiz Tariq, Ayaz Khan, Noorullah, and Mohsin Mumtaz.