'Katehra' launched from Peshawar

A new Urdu daily 'Katehra' on Saturday formally launched from Peshawar. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli was chief guest on the occasion.
Addressing the function she said present government has given unprecedented freedom to media and days had gone when the governments were giving dictations to the press. She said world has been converted into a global village and nothing was hiding from sharp eye of media.
She said since 9/11 incident the importance of Pakistan had increased in the region and wisdom demanded that in prevailing situation media should also exhibit maturity and responsibility for projecting soft image of the country.
The print media, she said has achieved the status of industry and from top management to a common worker should work as a team to guide the nation in right direction. She urged for promotion of constructive and investigative journalism adding nothing should be published before proper investigation and research.
She said during last six years newspaper industry has registered upward trend and now total number of dailies, journals, weeklies and magazines has crossed the figure of 1200, reflecting positive posture of government. She said newspapers should not limit their circulation to a specific area and give appropriate space to news from all parts of the country to their readers.
Referring to demands about implementation of 7th Wage Board Award in newspapers and news agencies, she said for first time a high-level committee headed by PML Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has been constituted.
The members, she informed were including representatives of APNS, CPNE, PFUJ, federal ministers for information, interior, labour & manpower while secretary information is its ex-officio member.
Two meetings have already been held with the representatives of the newspaper owners for seeking resolution to the matter. The big hurdle in the implementation of the Wage Board Award she said was the dispute over the definition of 'newspaper employees' in the Pakistan Newspapers Employees Act.
She ruled out linkage of government advertisements with implementation of the wage award and said government issued advertisements on the whims and consent of the companies concerned.
About the demands for establishment of housing colony for the members of Akhbar Faroosh Union, she urged provincial government to take up the matter on priority basis and in that regard offered full co-operation. She said government has reserved special quota for journalist community in housing sectors in federal capital Islamabad and also considering similar projects in other parts of the country also. Earlier, Anjuman-e-Tajran general secretary Khaista Gul presented a shawl to the minister of state.
Others who addressed the function were including NWFP Minister for Information Asif Iqbal Daudzai, NWFP Minister for Religious Affairs & Auqaf Maulana Amanullah Haqqani, President Peshawar Press Club Muhammad Riaz Chief Editor and Inamullah Khan Editor of the "Katehra", and Sahibzada Suhail Javid.