CPNE Islamabad/Rawalpindi Committee Meeting Held to Address Print Media Challenges

ISLAMABAD, September 1*

The first meeting of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) Islamabad/Rawalpindi Committee was held to discuss and resolve the challenges facing the print media industry.

Principal Information Officer Mubasher Hassan announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a 20% increase in government advertisement rates for newspapers, which will be included in the federal budget and notified soon. He assured the committee that other issues facing newspapers and magazines would also be addressed.

Committee Chairman Yahya Sadozai proposed an increase in the advertisement quota for magazines and improvement in distribution among CPNE member newspapers. He appreciated the improvement in advertisement volume under the current government and appealed for timely payment of dues.

The committee expressed concern over incidents against press freedom in Lahore, Quetta, and Ghotki and demanded improvement in the situation.

CPNE Secretary-General Aizaz ul Haq mentioned the Lahore High Court’s advertisements for CPNE member newspapers and stressed the need for implementation of the court’s orders regarding government advertisements. He also emphasized the importance of resolving issues related to newspaper distribution and timely payment of dues to ensure the financial stability of the print media industry. The committee members unanimously agreed on the need for collective efforts to address the challenges facing the industry and decided to meet regularly to discuss and resolve these issues.