KARACHI – The Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) has elected Azhar Abbas as its president and Tariq Mahmood as general secretary, according to a statement issued by the association.
Muhammad Usman and Mian Tahir were elected vice presidents, Rehan Ahmed and Nadeem Jamal joint secretaries, and Shahab Mahmood finance secretary.
The association’s general council elected the remaining executive committee members during meetings in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.
The members include Zahid Mazhar, Masoom Rizvi, Mohsin Raza, Mubarak Ali, Kamran Lashari, Humayun Saleem, Muhammad Noshad Ali Khan, Khawaja Hasnain and Razaq Sarohi.
The council also expressed serious concern over what it described as the deteriorating state of press freedom in Pakistan and the growing use of government powers and state institutions to restrict independent journalism.
It voiced concern over the alleged misuse of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and the actions of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
The council criticised the conduct of certain YouTubers who, it said, appeared to pursue personal or political agendas under the guise of journalism. However, it stressed that the actions of a few individuals could not justify restrictions on the media as a whole.
The council resolved that the newly elected executive committee would hold detailed discussions on the country’s media situation before issuing a comprehensive statement outlining the association’s position.
