Islamabad: A meeting of the Federal Committee of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) was held at Ali Akbar House, Islamabad, chaired by the Committee Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Pakistan Observer, Mr. Faisal Zahid Malik.
The meeting reviewed in detail the issues facing the newspaper industry. Participants expressed grave concern that the newspaper industry is currently facing a severe crisis and its survival is at stake, and therefore the government and relevant authorities must take immediate action. Participants regretted that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and its subordinate bodies have failed to ensure fair and transparent distribution of advertisements to newspapers. Furthermore, the Press Information Department (PID) has not cleared newspaper dues despite several years having passed.
The meeting noted that three years have passed since the current government came to power, but during this period no effective measures have been taken for the welfare of the newspaper industry or to resolve its financial difficulties. Participants demanded that at least 50% of outstanding dues be paid immediately during June 2026 to ease the financial hardships faced by newspapers. The meeting also emphasized that the current system of government advertisement distribution has been unjust for a long time and must be made transparent and merit-based without delay.
Federal Committee members warned that if dues are not paid within the next six months, APNS will consider suspending advertisements for defaulting government institutions again. Participants also expressed dissatisfaction that PID’s role in recovering payments from various government institutions has not been effective. The meeting demanded that immediate meetings be arranged with the Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, the Secretary of Information, and the Principal Information Officer to take practical steps to resolve the issues facing the newspaper industry.
Participants urged APNS leadership to review various public and private clients and make the dues recovery process more effective and organized. It was also agreed that unity and solidarity among all APNS members is essential for the protection of the newspaper industry.
At the conclusion of the meeting, it was decided that the next meeting of the APNS Federal Committee will be convened soon to review progress on these matters.
The meeting was attended by Hafiz Asim (Nawa-i-Waqt/The Nation), Naveed Niazi (Daily Pakistan), Ansar Bhatti (Centreline), Tariq Mughal (Nawa-i-Pak), Waseem Ahmed (Daily Awaam), Syed Ahmed Ali (Daily Jang), Khushnood Ali Khan (Daily Sahafat), Rafi Niazi (Daily Patriot), and Syed Irfan Shah.
