950824

APP Journalists

Association backs

away from

union's stand

ISLAMABAD: The President, Vice-President, Secretary-General and the majority of the members of the Association of APP Journalists (AAJ), have expressed their dissociation from the so-called resolution, which was issued on behalf of the Association, regarding the termination of APP Union office-bearers.

The office-bearers of the AAJ in their joint statement on Thursday have expressed complete ignorance of the resolution as no meeting of the executive body of the association was held and therefore, there arose no question of passing any resolution.

The statement said the resolution which appeared in the press was the personal and whimsical act of the Joint-Secretary, who had no authority to issue any statement or release any resolution without the approval of the executive body, which is the only competent authority.

The statement said that the AAJ is a non-political body. It believes in the solution of the issues through negotiations rather than agitation.

"The unilateral release of the resolution is totally against the constitution of the association. Action in accordance with the constitution will be taken against the joint secretary who used the forum of the Association for his personal vested interests at the cost of the collective cause of its members."

The statement said: "Since the case of the APP union office-bearers is in the court, the Association does not deem it judicious step to express itself on a subjudice matter.

"The association believes that as the APP unionists have approached the court then let the honourable court give its judgement on the issue."

The statement said that the association "is against the outside interference in the internal affairs of APP, which is an undertaking of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

"The Association feels that APP union which strongly condemned the outside interference by the journalists bodies in the past is going against its own stand by inviting the journalist bodies to settle their scores against the agency".-APP