ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Friday that photographers are the frontline and advance column of journalistic community and faced the greatest hazards in the performance of their professional duties.
Talking to a delegation of All Pakistan Photojournalists Association headed by its President Sajjad Haider here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, he said that the government would provide all possible assistance to enhance the professional capabilities of photojournalists.
The President said since the press photographers, due to nature of their job, always faced risks to their lives so he had directed the Ministry of Information to devise a scheme of insurance for the Photojournalists and provide them life jackets to enable them discharge their duties with safety and without any fear, particularly in conflict zones.
He also asked for giving awards and commendation certificates to press photographers with certain minimum service length for their outstanding contributions in the field of photojournalism.
The President also asked the Ministry of Information to examine the proposal of setting up a National Institute of Press Photographers for training and capacity building of photojournalists
in the country, The President said that the government was aware of the problems being faced by the photojournalists and advised the Ministry to take all possible steps for resolving their problems.
The President appreciated the courage and valour of photojournalists in conflict areas in the pursuit of professional duties and praised the APPA for the work it has been doing for the promotion of photojournalism in the country.
The APPA delegation included Iqbal Chaudry, Ayaz Sheikh, Tanveer Shahzad, Abdul Hameed, Raja Zaffar, Ali Wahid, Farman Khan, Aftab Rizvi, Bashir But, Mohammad Tahir, Mohammad Sadiq, Muzammal Shah, Musa Farman and Saleem Rana.
Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ms. Farahnaz Ispaani MNA, Presidential Spokesperson Farhatullah Babar, Secretary Information Taimur Azmat Usman, and PIO Mohammad Saleem was present during the meeting.
The delegation apprised the President about the problems in discharge of their professional duties.
The delegation thanked the President for his keenness to resolve the issues being faced by the photojournalists in the country.
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