Azma chairs meeting to discuss journalists issues

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Information Azma Bokhari emphasised that media houses must ensure timely payment of salaries to their workers in order to safeguard the welfare of media professionals.

She said this while chairing a meeting of the review committee on Friday. The meeting was convened to discuss the issues faced by journalists and to improve the media industry. Representatives from Lahore Press Club, CPNE, APNS, PBA, and various journalist organisations participated in the meeting and presented their views on media-related issues. During the meeting, several key decisions were made. One of the major decisions was the relaxation of the experience requirement for obtaining a DGPR accreditation card. Now, journalists with at least five consecutive years of experience in journalism will be eligible to receive the DGPR card. Previously, the requirement was ten years of experience. It was also informed during the meeting that as of 2025, a total of 2,725 journalists across Punjab have already been issued accreditation cards. Furthermore, the committee decided to develop a clear and mutually agreed definition of a journalist, aiming to bring transparency to future policy-making processes. Owners and editors of newspapers assured their full cooperation with the Punjab government in eliminating dummy newspapers. The review committee expressed appreciation to the DGPR for ensuring timely payments of government advertisements to media organisations. The meeting was attended by Punjab Secretary of Information Tahir Raza Hamdani and Director General Public Relations Ghulam Sagheer Shahid. Other notable attendees included Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari, senior journalists Kazim Khan, Naveed Kashif, Hafiz Tariq, Ayaz Khan, Noorullah and Mohsin Mumtaz.