Govt working to solve problems of media: Shibli

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Thursday said the government was well aware of the problems of the media industry and was working to resolve them in the light of Prime Minister Imran Khan's directives.

The minister said this during a meeting on video link with APNS Executive Committee members, who apprised the minister of the media industry of related issues, including payment of dues.

Shibli noted that advertising dues were being paid on priority basis, Rs74 crore had been paid in this regard, whereas about Rs45 crore had been paid for advertisements during the tenure of the present government.

The whole world, he noted, was suffering from economic instability due to the coronavirus and “it had its negative effects on our economy and we all have to face these difficult situations together.”

He acknowledged the fact that the media is an important pillar of society, as the media not only creates awareness among the people but also employs thousands of families in the sector. “We will take all possible steps to develop the media industry and protect the rights of journalists, “he said.

The minister contended that the media houses must play their part in resolving the issue of salaries of journalists and workers and that “we will take steps to address the issue of print media tax refunds.”

Secretary General APNS Sarmad Ali, Shehab Zubair, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami, Qazi Asad Abid, Najamuddin Sheikh, Mushtaq Ahmed, Fauzia Shaheen, Mohsin Bilal, Faisal Zahid Malik, Syed Haroon Shah, Naveed Chaudhry, Mumtaz A. Tahir and other members attended the meeting.