KARACHI—The Annual Meeting of the APNS General Council was held on March 15, 2025, at the APNS House in Karachi. During this meeting, Sarmad Ali was unanimously elected President, Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani Senior Vice President, Shahab Zuberi Vice President, Muhammad Athar Kazi Secretary General, Mohsin Bilal Joint Secretary, and Naveed Kashif Finance Secretary of the Society.
Mrs. Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani, the Society’s president, chaired the AGM. The Council unanimously approved the Executive Committee’s report for the years 2024-2025 and the Society’s Annual Accounts for the year 2024.
A total of 107 members from across the country attended the General Council. They formed an Election Commission led by Mr. Mumtaz Ahmed Phulpoto, with Syed Irfan Shah and Mr. Ali Bin Younus as members. This Election Commission was responsible for conducting the elections for the Executive Committee for the year 2025-26.
The following dailies and magazines were elected unopposed to the Executive Committee of the APNS for the upcoming tenure:
– Daily Jasarat
– Daily Jiddat, Karachi
– Daily Business Recorder
– Daily Aghaz
– Daily Dawn
– Daily Deyanat
– Daily Khabrain
– Daily Times
– Daily Jang
– Daily Dunya
– Daily Tijarat
– Daily Pakistan, Lahore
– Daily Ausaf
– Daily Sahafat
– Daily Awam (Quetta)
– Daily Mashriq (Quetta)
– Daily Wahdat
– Daily Mashriq (Peshawar)
– Daily Kawish
– Daily Aftab (Multan)
– Daily Business Report
– Daily Paigham
– Daily City42
– Daily Pakistan Observer
– Daily Halchal
– Daily Sayadat (on daily seats)
– Monthly Dastak
– Weekly Family (Nawa-e-Waqt Group)
– Monthly Naey Ufaq
– Monthly Naya Rukh
– Monthly Centre Line
– Fortnightly Ibrat (on periodical seats)
Mrs. Zahida Abbasi of Daily Nau Sijj, Karachi, was elected to the woman-publisher seat on the new Executive Committee. Mr. Javed Mehr Shamsi’s brother, who passed away unexpectedly, was unable to attend the AGM. The President co-opted Daily Kaleem Sukkur as a member of the Executive Committee representing Sindh, excluding Karachi dailies.
The newly elected Executive Committee expressed appreciation for the Election Commission’s efforts in conducting the elections.
During the meeting, members strongly condemned the ongoing ban on government advertisements for Daily Dawn. They described it as a policy of coercion, using advertisements as a means to influence the newspaper’s editorial decisions. The AGM emphasized that the distribution of government advertisements is not a privilege but a right, as these ads are essential for transparency in government functioning and to ensure the “People’s Right to Know.” Payments for government advertisements are made from public funds; therefore, these ads should not be issued or withheld based on the preferences of any government. The APNS has consistently called for a just, fair, and transparent distribution of government advertisements.
The Council also expressed concern about the continued suspension of government advertisements in Daily Sahafat, urging the Ministry of Information to lift the ban.
In a resolution, the AGM voiced profound concern over the state of print media amidst the current economic situation. The current economic situation has led to a severe financial crisis for newspapers, many of which are on the brink of collapse. In response, the media is looking for government support to navigate this economic challenge. The AGM urged the new Federal Government to implement a decision made by Mian Shahbaz Sharif during his last term, which called for an increase in government advertisement rates.
The members of the AGM requested that both federal and provincial governments settle the long-outstanding dues owed to the newspaper industry, enhance the quantity of advertisements, and allocate a separate share of the advertising budget for print media, ensuring the survival of the newspaper industry during these challenging times.
