Our Correspondent
Islamabad: The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is fully aware of the challenges faced by the print and electronic media industry and the necessary steps to overcome them.
State Secretary Arshad Khan said this while meeting the representatives of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) – Vice President (CP) Tahir Farooq and Vice President (Islamabad) Yahya Khan Sadozai. KP House in the Federal Capital.
According to the newly appointed provincial secretary, we have decided to provide funds to pay the pending payments to the media as soon as possible. The provincial secretary said that the KP government believes in freedom of speech and media independence and fully understands its role in social development and economic stability.
We look forward to working with you and seeking your guidance on issues such as public welfare, good governance and public service efficiency.
Ali Amin Gandapur, Chief Minister of KP, has repeatedly said that Media is considered as the fourth pillar of the country after the legislature, judiciary and executive. We want to work with the media and we will accept your proposals for this,” he said.
He said about the allocation of funds, an allocation of $ 1 billion has been allocated to launch a regular advertising campaign on the orders of the provincial chief minister. He assured the media owner that the payment for this campaign will be paid as per the standard rate ie 15/85 and there will be no favoritism.
However, he said the payment to the media house will be subject to government tax as per the law. According to him, nothing is collected from any government department or organization except government tax. He urged media houses not to be pressured or threatened in any way, because only the Ministry of Information has the right to advertise or release funds.
Arshad Khan also said that the funds allocated for the media industry not only show the work of the KP government but also help solve the financial problems of the media industry. The CPNE Vice President thanked the Secretary for the information and assured him of his full support.
