950819

Govt's failure to withdraw ST, duties

PNPO president, Secy

conferred powers to

call countrywide strike

ISLAMABAD: The Executive Committee of Newspapers and Periodicals Organization (PNPO) in a meeting held here on Saturday conferred full powers upon the president and general secretary of the organization to call for a nation-wide strike against the failure of the government to remove all duties and sales tax on the import of newsprint.

The committee expressed its "grave concern" at the runaway inflation in the international newsprint market, which had caused the prime price of newsprint (scandinavian standard) to shift from US$450 to US$1300 per metric ton. Given that newsprint is not manufactured in Pakistan and is the only form of paper on which newspapers are printed, the organization particularly deplored "delaying tactics and see-sawing by officials on the issue despite assurances by the prime minister to the contrary."

The committee urged the PNPO office-bearers to co-ordinate their efforts towards a nation-wide strike in conjunction with the Newspapers Editors Council of Pakistan (NECP) and other newspaper bodies. It also urged upon the PNPO President Arif Nizami to take the matter to the industry-wide body in Karachi (the 1991 committee) which was responsible for the withdrawal of the ban on 6 eveningers in Karachi recently.

The PNPO office-bearers were authorized to use "all means necessary" to accomplish their objectives and to call for a nation-wide strike for "an indefinite period". At the same time the PNPO urged the importance of a wide-spread campaign in co-ordination with all newspapers bodies to persuade public opinion to lend support for the removal of duties on newsprint.

The PNPO executive voiced strong criticism on the conduct of the Press Information Department in the Federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, with respect to the conduct of Advertising Policy.

The committee particularly expressed its "grave displeasure" at the flouting of the PID rules wit respect to the accordition of Advertising Agencies, the compulsory "no advertisement period" for the new publications and with respect to the non-payment of the advertisement dues of its member publications.

The PNPO Emphasised the case of new advertising agency messrs Informachine whose owners are closely related to the inner ruling clique in the country. The organization strongly criticised the massive government advertising cut ordered on the daily Dawn for refusing to print advertisements released by the Informachine on behalf of the Finance Ministry in violation of PID accordition rules and in contravention of all ethics.

The committee also noted that the International Monetary Fund had expressed its displeasure on using the Finance Ministry's funds for advertising the political party in power.

The committee decided that wit immediate effect no advertisement whatsoever released through the messrs Informachine would be placed in member publications unless the concerned agency fulfilled in letter and spirit the PNPO rules of conduct of advertising agencies.

The PNPO further criticised the Press Information Department for its discriminatory Advertising Policy, and its continued ban on advertising with respect to PNPO members daily Khabrain, Lahore, and Islamabad, Daily Business Report, Faisalabad, Awam, Awaz and Daily Etemad, Quetta. It also urged the lifting of the ban on advertising on Daily Amn, Karachi, placed by the Sindh Government.

The PNPO sharply criticised the "indecent haste" with which a new newspaper connected to the ruling party the Sindh Tribune had received government advertising from PID and regional information departments in gross violation of all rules which allow government advertising in newly introduced newspapers only after tree months the PNPO decided that unless the PID conforms to its own rules and ensures the PNPO.

The participation of the organization in the accredition process, it would revoke all special advertisement rates for government advertisers. It urged the department to urgently convene joint meeting to review all advertising rates and bring them in line with the new inflationary pressures.

The PNPO met with the representatives of the staff of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) and heard the grievances of its workers with respect to the falling quality of the news service to PNPO members publications.

The committee decided to appoint Fasih Iqbal of Balochistan Times who is also the president of Newspapers Editors Council of Pakistan (NECP) to co-ordinate all efforts to bear pressure on the APP management to arrest the declining standard of the agency particularly in the last few weeks. It also asked Iqbal to study the privatization proposals for APP advocated by Majid Nizami and pursuade the government to allow the newspaper industry to purchase APP and to operate it as a professional news agency, as was the case wit such news agencies in other countries.

In another development, the Executive Committee cautioned its members the advertising community in general and national advertisers from falling "victim to the unscrupulous practices of self-styled, briefcase market research companies, who were peddling their services to media-owners for the purpose of conducting service that have pre-arranged results. The trend towards using sucy self-styled market survey firms to draw in advertising in a recessionary period should be strongly discouraged."

The PNPO committee set a date for the holding of the inaugural function of conferring awards to the journalists and advertising agencies in the first week of December 1995.

The meeting was attended by Awami Awaz, Amn, Balochistan Times, Balochistan Express, Business Report, Chattan, Dawn (English), Dawn (Gujrati), Etemad, Frontier Post, Herald, Hewad, Investment and Marketing, Jehad, Jahan Numa, Khabrain, Pakistan Observer, Al-Akhbar, Moon Digest, Muslim, Nation, Nawai Waqt, Star, Vatan and Kawish representatives.-PPI