Islamabad : Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has said that moving towards digitization is a good and important step, this is the need of the future. Digitizing the website and lists shows that the vision of the National Press Club is based on reforms and innovation.
He expressed these views while addressing the launch ceremony of the National Press Club website here on Monday. On this occasion, Principal Information Officer Raisa Adil, senior journalist Haji Nawaz Raza, National Press Club President Abdul Razak Sial, Secretary Dr. Furqan Rao, other office bearers of the Press Club and a large number of journalists were present.
On this occasion, Attaullah Tarar paid tribute to Principal Information Officer Raisa Adil for making excellent arrangements as DGIP Wing Islamabad during the talks. He said that during the Islamabad talks, excellent arrangements were made for journalists, while the event was also appreciated at the international level, which highlighted the positive image of Pakistan.
He said that during the tenure of the current government, no government advertisements of any TV channel or newspaper were stopped, the government is working to solve the financial problems faced by journalists and media institutions and introduce a new policy to stabilize the media industry.
The Federal Minister said that the main reason for the financial difficulties faced by the media industry at present is the policies of 2019, due to which the financial capacity available to media institutions decreased significantly, the effects of which are still ongoing today. During the previous government, the funds of press clubs were limited, while even the rates of government advertisements of TV channels were reduced, which caused the media industry to face financial difficulties. Responsibilities were transferred from one governing body to another in the National Press Club in a pleasant manner, and the elections were also held in a very pleasant and peaceful atmosphere, which is an example to be followed by politicians.
The Federal Minister said the National Press Club is not just a part of the federation, but a very important institution. The Federal Minister said that the Federal Minister of Information has called the establishment of a digital lab for the National Press Club the need of the hour and directed to allocate a hall for the digital lab. He said that a digital lab has been established in the Digital Communication Department of the Ministry of Information where a podcast studio has also been prepared. Through this facility, people can record their reels and file reports. Such a facility should also be available in the Islamabad National Press Club because it is the need of the hour and it is not possible to move forward without it in the digital era. The government tries to ensure that the dues of media institutions are paid on time.
The government has obtained assurances from the media institutions that whenever their dues are paid, the employees will be paid first and their pending salaries will be released. The government is trying to create an environment in which media institutions remain financially stable and the journalist community can get better employment opportunities.
The Federal Minister said that the importance of digital media is undeniable, however, the importance of print and electronic media remains. He said that a large part of the news coming on social media is based on information obtained from newspapers and television, so the importance of traditional media remains. He said that whenever there is a meeting with the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) or the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), it is always emphasized that the welfare of employees is and will remain the top priority. He said that this issue was also emphasized in the meeting of the Standing Committee on Information in the past few days, while the PBA and APNS are being informed in writing that if, God forbid, a journalist dies while on duty, then at present there is no such package or system through which his family can be financially supported. He said that the government can also contribute in this, but it is important that media houses formulate a comprehensive policy. He said that it is a basic human right that journalists and their families should be protected.
On this occasion, the Federal Minister also directed to provide health card facility to journalists. He said that the Ministry of Information is making arrangements with various universities to organize short courses on digital content creation and digital marketing for information officers and designated journalists. He said that the expenses of these training courses will be borne by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Referring to the financial difficulties faced by media institutions, Attaullah Tarar said that their financial difficulties were based on policies introduced in the past. One reason for the financial difficulties is the policy under which it was decided that the federal government would not release a grant of more than Rs 1 million for the National Press Club, while for small press clubs, this limit was fixed at Rs 500,000.
Federal Minister Attaullah Tarar presented a 30-day digital training workshop certificate to senior journalist Asghar Ali Mubarak at the inauguration ceremony of the National Press Club website.