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PIO assures newspaper industry of issues’ resolution

KARACHI: Raisa Adil, Principal Information Officer, visited APNS House and held a meeting with Sindh based members of the Executive Committee of the APNS.

She was accompanied by Irum Tanvir, DG PID, Karachi.

The APNS President Senator Sarmad All welcomed the PIO and apprised her about the issues being faced by the newspaper industry. He pointed out that the Prime Minister’s commitment to increase government advertising rates for the print media was yet to be implemented. Despite the severe economic challenges confronting the newspaper industry.

He urged the government to increase government newspaper adverting rates as per the commitment made by the Prime Minister and subsequently government advertising rates be delinked from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) and be frozen till an new mechanism was worked out for determining newspaper circulations and readership. He also suggested that the offices of ABC and Press Registrar be merged into one entity.

The APNS President expressed the view that the authority to fix government advertisement rates should be transferred from the Cabinet Division to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in line with the existing policy applicable to other media.

The APNS members reiterated the need to reform and restructure the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) and the office of the Registrar. APNS members emphasized that the registration rules should be simplified in consultation with all stakeholders.

The members observed that PID Islamabad has not paid major portion of dues of member publications released after the new advertising policy of 2020. They requested the PIO to expedite the payment of outstanding dues and allocate a fair share in the quantum of advertisements for the print media. They also demanded that the regional PID offices be empowered to suggest media of their regions and authorized the clients to select the media of their choice.

The APNS President also pointed out that the existing government advertising policy is largely based on the 1964 framework and requires a comprehensive review to meet present-day media requirements. The Executive members proposed that the Regional offices of PID and the client departments should be empowered to prepare media plans according to their communication objectives and target audiences.

The PIO thanked APNS for the meeting and assured the APNS members that efforts would be made to resolve the issues at the earliest.

The meeting was attended by Senator Sarmad Ali President, Ms. Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani Senior Vice President, Mr. Shahab Zuberi Vice President, Muhammad Athar Kazi Secretary General, Mr. Javed Mehr Shamsi (Kaleem), Kazi Asad Abid (Ibrat), Mr. Younus Mehr (Halchal), Dr. Jabbar Khattak (Awami Awaz), Mr. Bilal Farooqui (Aghaz), Ms. Fauzia Shaheen (Dastak), Mr. Mumtaz Phulpoto (Awami Parchar), Mr. Tahir Qureshi (Naey Ufaq), Syed Akbar Tahir (Jasarat), Mr. Najamuddin Sheikh (Deyanat), Mr. Aamir Malik (Mashriq), Mr. Ali Hamza and Muhammad Irfan (Ummat).

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Health minister orders probe into Sindh MDCAT complaints

ISLAMABAD:Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal has taken notice of alleged irregularities in the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) held in Sindh and ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the complaints.

According to official sources, the minister directed a five-member committee, including the President of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), to conduct a transparent investigation and submit its report within 15 days.

The committee has been tasked with examining the complaints and reviewing the circumstances surrounding the alleged irregularities during the examination, sources said.

The minister directed the committee to complete the inquiry within the stipulated timeframe and present its findings for further action in accordance with the applicable rules.

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CDA chairman directs faster work on Expressway East project

ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Sohail Ashraf has directed officials to accelerate work on the Islamabad Expressway Service Road East project while ensuring strict compliance with approved designs and construction standards.

During an inspection of the project on Saturday, the chairman reviewed progress and was briefed on ongoing works and the next phase of development.

He directed the project director and relevant departments to maintain continuous field monitoring and quality control and ensure effective traffic management to minimise inconvenience to commuters.

The chairman described the Expressway East project as an important infrastructure scheme for improving connectivity, traffic flow and road capacity in the capital. He also stressed that construction quality should not be compromised in efforts to meet the project timeline.

During the visit, he was also briefed on an ongoing enforcement operation against unauthorised and illegal construction along the Islamabad Expressway.

According to the CDA, 377 buildings have been identified for action, including 281 commercial structures. So far, 58 buildings have been sealed, while 124 buildings between Sohan and Khanna bridges have been marked for demolition.

The authority said Rs234.685 million had been recovered through land-use conversion, unauthorised construction and de-sealing charges. Around Rs3 billion remained recoverable under applicable regulations in connection with land-use conversion and violations relating to unauthorised construction, setbacks, floor area ratio and covered area.

The chairman directed the relevant departments to ensure strict enforcement of building-control and land-use regulations, particularly mandatory fire-safety requirements.

The enforcement operation is being conducted by the CDA’s Building Control Section and Enforcement Directorate in coordination with the district administration and Islamabad police.

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GB ministers call on Governor Kundi

PESHAWAR: Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi on Saturday held a meeting with a delegation of Gilgit-Baltistan ministers at the Governor’s House here and discussed the country’s political situation and other matters of mutual interest.

The delegation comprised Gilgit-Baltistan Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Zulfiqar Ali Murad, Minister for Health Iqbal Hassan and Minister for Education Aman Ali Ameer.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on the prevailing political situation in the country and various issues of mutual interest. They also discussed the recent elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Pakistan Peoples Party’s success in the polls.

The visiting ministers were taken on a tour of the Governor’s House. Governor Kundi presented them with traditional shawls and caps.