ISLAMABAD – Sigh of relief for print media as federal government pledged increasing Ad rates in meeting with APNS members.
Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar made commitment to increase advertisement rates for print media to strengthen traditional journalism and counter the rise of disinformation on fake media platforms in a dinner hosted in honor of the Executive Committee of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) by the Ministry of Information.
Tarrar assured APNS members that government acknowledges challenges faced by the newspaper industry and has already disbursed over Rs. 6 billion in outstanding dues. He further pledged that the share of print media in both advertisement volume and payments will be enhanced, and that timely clearance of future dues will be ensured.
He also revealed that committee comprising all stakeholders has been formed to identify and eliminate dummy publications, allowing genuine newspapers to benefit from a fairer distribution of government advertising revenue. The Minister urged the print media industry to embrace innovation to tackle current challenges and ensure sustainability.
APNS President Senator Sarmad Ali and members of Executive Committee briefed Minister on key issues, including the delay in implementation of the Prime Minister’s August 2023 decision to raise advertisement rates. They expressed concern over the unequal distribution of media payments, with electronic media receiving the majority share while newspapers were allocated less than 20%.
APNS delegation demanded equitable treatment for print media and recommended empowering regional offices of the Press Information Department (PID) to identify local media outlets for regional advertisements.
The dinner was attended by Secretary Information Ms. Ambreen Jan, Principal Information Officer Mr. Mubashar Hasan, and senior officials of the Ministry. APNS was represented by Secretary General Mr. Muhammad Athar Kazi, Finance Secretary Mr. Naveed Kashif, and members of the Executive Committee.
APNS Executive Committee held its meeting earlier in the day, chaired by President Senator Sarmad Ali. Secretary General Mohammad Athar Kazi announced the committee’s resolutions, calling on both federal and provincial governments to expedite pending payments, including long-overdue bills from previous administrations. The committee also resolved to send a delegation to meet the Secretary Information Sindh to push for the release of non-budgeted payments.
The meeting was attended by prominent media representatives including Mohsin Bilal, Mohsin Seyal (Aftab), Bilal Farooqi (Aghaz), Ansar Mahmood Bhatti (Monthly Centre Line), Fauzia Shaheen (Dastak), Najamuddin Sheikh (Deyanat), Javed Mehr Shamsi (Kaleem), Imtinan Shahid (Khabrain), Bilal Mahmood (Nawa-e-Waqt), Rasakh Munir (Mashriq Peshawar), Aamir Malik (Mashriq Quetta), S.M. Munir Jilani (Paigham), Usman Mujib Shami (Pakistan), Faisal Zahid Malik (Pakistan Observer), Khushnood Ali Khan (Sahafat), Humayun Gulzar (Sayadat), Imran Ather (Tijarat), and Syed Haroon Shah (Wahdat).
