RECORER REPORT
LAHORE: Punjab Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has said that media is an important pillar of the state and the present government will extend all-out cooperation to resolve the issues of newspaper industry.
“In this connection, a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar will be arranged very soon,” the minister stated this while talking to a delegation of All Pakistan Newspapers Association (APNS)’s executive body here on Saturday.
APNS president Sarmad Ali along with other office-bearers called on the minister and apprised him about the present state of affairs and problems they are facing.
Abdul Aleem Khan said that there is no doubt that media played a pivotal role in the success of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Imran Khan and today newspapers and television channels are free to criticise the government. He invited the journalist’s community to point out the shortcomings, which will be addressed accordingly.
Talking on the present situation in the country, the minister claimed that the last government left behind huge debts and rampant corruption; traditional corrupt system had failed to provide relief to the common man. “Nawaz League showed their performance with bogus facts and figures; only during the interim government a real picture emerged,” he added.
Khan said that a number of projects in Punjab (launched by the previous government) have become white elephant and they are left with an option of either abandoning them or carry on with them with heavy price tags. “The present government is forced (by heavy debts) to reduce the Annual Development Programme(ADP) by 67 percent; we need more than four years to complete the ongoing projects and that too without starting any new initiatives in Punjab,” he added.
He claimed that the journey in the right direction has already started under the leadership of Imran Khan and soon the masses will receive the benefits.
He acknowledged that to attract local and foreign investment in the country, the government will create an environment conducive for investments, which will help in generate new jobs, business opportunities and strengthen the national economy.
He also talked about the changes they are bringing in the existing new local government system. He said that it will not only ensure financial and administrative powers, but also progress at grassroots level.
APNS president Sarmad Ali told the minister that the Pakistani media is facing extraordinary crisis and the depreciation of rupee has also played a role in this crisis. He said that if the government does not offer a solution then newspapers will remain sticky situation.
Mehtab Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami, Khushnood Ali Khan, Rahmat Ali Razi, Naveed Chaudhary, Jamil Athar and senior journalists from other provinces appealed to the minister to personally intervene in the matter and provide immediate relief to the media industry.
