Karachi – The General Council of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) convened its annual meeting at APNS House on Saturday, electing a new leadership team for the 2024-2025 term.
Senator Sarmad Ali was unanimously elected as APNS President, with Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani as Senior Vice President, Shahab Zuberi as Vice President, Muhammad Athar Kazi as Secretary General, Mohsin Bilal as Joint Secretary, and Naveed Kashif as Finance Secretary. The meeting was chaired by outgoing President Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani, who oversaw the approval of the Executive Committee’s report and the annual financial accounts.
The APNS also selected various dailies and periodicals to its Executive Committee, with Mrs. Zahida Abbasi of Daily Nau Sijj, Karachi, elected to the women-publisher seat.
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During the session, the council strongly condemned the ongoing government advertisement ban on Daily Dawn and Daily Sahafat, criticizing it as an attempt to influence editorial independence. Members urged the Ministry of Information to ensure fair and transparent allocation of government ads, emphasizing that public funds should not be used as a tool for press suppression.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and other senior officials, including Federal Secretary for Information Ambreen Jan and Principal Information Officer Mobashir Hassan, extended their congratulations to the newly elected APNS leadership.
The APNS reiterated its commitment to media freedom and urged the government to uphold press independence by ensuring just policies for advertisement distribution.
Media Bites wishes all the newly elected office bearers of APNS the best of luck in their future endeavors and strength to uphold the flag of Freedom of Speech.
