Minister vows to help resolve journalists' issues on priority

Sindh Minister for Information, Local Government, Housing Town Planning, Religious Affairs, and Forest & Wildlife Department Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that the issues and the problems being faced by the Journalists' community were in the knowledge of the Sindh government and that all these problems were being resolved on priority basis.

The Minister said this while addressing a convention on "Problems faced by Print Media Industry especially Small and Medium sized Publications", organized by All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) at APNS House, Karachi on Saturday.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that following the sincere efforts of his colleague Saeed Ghani, he would also work for resolving the problems being faced by the people attached to the newspaper industry.

The Minister said that he would also request the people working in the media to highlight the accomplishments and achievements of the Sindh government in the same way as they highlighted its shortcomings. He said that seldom it happened that the sincere efforts of the government were highlighted by the media, in the same way as it highlighted the failures of the government.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that Chairman Pakistan People's Party had also directed him as he assumed the charge of the Information Ministry that all the rightful problems of the media persons should be resolved on priority basis. The Minister said that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also gave a message for the high-up's of the print and electronic media that they should avoid expelling people working with them, besides taking care of their staff.

Talking about the issue of the distribution of government advertisements to the print media Syed Nasir Husain Shah asked the officer bearers of the APNS to form a committee in this regard. The Minister assured that all the suggestions of this committee would be implemented.

The Minister said that the Sindh government never issued the advertisements to the media discriminately. Syed Nasir Hussain Shah also assured the members of All Pakistan Newspapers Society that all their dues would be cleared within a month. The Minister said that the government of Pakistan People's Party always believed in freedom of Press and the welfare of the journalists. He said that the Sindh government would continue to do so in future as well.

Earlier the Secretary General of APNS Sarmad Ali and other office bearers informed the minister about the issues being faced by the journalists' community. Talking about the removal of encroachments from various parts of Karachi, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that as always the orders of the Supreme Court would be followed in letter and spirit. He said that first the alternative to the residents would be made available for the people from the government, only then their home or building would be demolished. The Minister also said that the affairs of Sindh Building Control Authority would be streamlined soon. He said that all the stay orders had been done away with the recent orders of the Supreme Court.

Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the population of Karachi had increased manifold that's why the government was facing multiple problems. Talking about the issue of the replacement of Inspector General of Police, Sindh, Syed Nasir Husain Shah said that the federal government made this issue controversial without any reason.