Info minister lauds KPC for its historical role against draconian forces

The Karachi Press Club (KPC) has remained steadfast in waging movement against the tyrannical forces in every era.

Newly appointed Sindh Caretaker Information, Social Protection and Minorities Minister Muhammad Ahmed Shah said this on Monday while talking to media persons as he visited the KPC in his first official visit after assuming the ministerial charge.

He said that media persons would not be required to get a reservation from his personal assistant for a meeting as the interaction between him and the journalists during his ministerial tenure would take place without any such formalities.

Shah mentioned that he had a decades-long association with the KPC as he always came and sat at the press club whenever he had free time. He said that his relations with the KPC strengthened over time.

He said the issues related to residential plots for the working journalists in Karachi would be resolved. He assured the media persons that the pace of development projects in the province would be stepped up by the government. He was of the view that the government should not be annoyed by the media’s criticism of its performance.

He eulogised the role of the media in providing guidance and identifying mistakes in the functioning of the government. He said the interim regime in Sindh would improve its performance after its shortcomings were identified by the media.

Shah assured the media persons that the interim Sindh government would take care of the ailing senior journalists. He said he would request the caretaker chief minister to resolve the issues of media persons on a priority basis.

The information minister said he would keep visiting the KPC during his ministerial tenure to consult with senior journalists. He said the caretaker provincial government would conduct workshops for training and capacity building of media persons.

Shah assured the journalists that he would meet high-ups of media houses to resolve the problems of media persons. “I have been informed that the payment of dues by the Sindh government to the media houses is conditional upon the payment of salaries and other dues to their staffers,” he said.

Shah, who is also the Arts Council of Pakistan president, said the council would also hold workshops for training of media persons. KPC President Saeed Sarbazi and Secretary Shoaib Ahmed also spoke on the occasion and briefed the new information minister about the pressing issues of the media persons. They mentioned that the Arts Council during the tenure of Shah had made progress by leaps and bounds.