Afrasiab favours more concessions for science journals
APP - December 4, 2000

KARACHI : The chairman, 7th Wage Board, Justice Raja Afrasiab Khan (Retd), said on Saturday that some specific periodicals were contributing towards science and literature and they deserve some concessions and benefits.
Talking to the group of owners of periodicals at Qasr-e-Naz, he advised the owners to submit their problems and suggestions in writing for consideration.
On the demand of owners, the Wage Board chairman assured them that he will recommend the government to release its advertisements for their periodicals.
He was of the view that some periodicals like a science magazine "Amali Science" was creating awareness about science and technology particularly information technology among youth and such magazines should be encouraged. 
Afrasiab Khan observed that such magazines were directly related to the promotion of information technology and basic sciences in the country. 
He made it clear that 7th Wage Board award will not hurt newspaper industry and instead it will provide some benefits. 
Earlier, periodical owners informed him about their working and said they were incurring losses arid urged for the release of government advertisement, removal of customs duty and taxes on news-print and printing material.
They were of the view that levying taxes and duties on periodicals was like taxing reading habits. 
The owners also urged the chairman to exclude periodicals from the ambit of the Wage Board.
The managing editor of 'The Cricketer' Riaz Ahmed Mansoori, the publisher "Amali Science" Syed Ahsan Ali Rizvi and the editor, Roohani Digest, Waqar Yousuf Azimi attended the meeting.

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Azad Kashmi Press Foundation formed
Business Recorder - December 22, 2000

MUZAFFARABAD : The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has established Press Foundation for the welfare of AJK journalist community through an ordinance promulgated here on Thursday.
As per Press foundation ordinance -2000 Press Foundation will be administrated by a board of governors consisted of a sitting judge of AJK High court as its member and chairman, secretary information AJK its member and vice chairman, director general Public relations (information) AJK its member and secretary and journalists accredited by the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Public Relations (information) department and nominated by Azad Jammu and Union of Journalists, central union of journalists, central press club , press club Muzaffarabad and district press clubs of Kotli, Mirpur, Bagh , Rawalakot, Pallandri and Bhimber will be its members.
The term of the office of the members of the board other than chairman, vice chairman shall be for three years.
The board will be decided on the basis of simple majority of the members present in the board meeting.
Foundation with prior approval of chairman and in accordance with the rates of assistance determined by the board make payments out of its funds to the member or their heirs in case of death of a member as burial expenses, in case of marriage of daughter of a member, in case of serious injuries to member due to some accident and is admitted in a hospital, or is suffering from a serious disease and is hospitalised or has been advised a major operation by an official surgeon or has been operated upon.
Every year one member selected through draw of ballots shall be financed out of board fund, to perform Haj, and the members who have already performed Haj shall not be eligible.
The board will entertain and consider requests from the members for grant of education/ training scholarship to such children of its members who, after intermediate, have secured admission in professional institutions.
The head office of the foundation will be at Muzaffarabad and sub offices will be at such places where it deems necessary.
The editors or representatives of daily newspapers, weekly magazines or any other periodical published in AJK included in the media list of AJK shall be eligible to become the member of the foundation provided the editors or accredited journalists who are subjects of Jammu and Kashmir state and the news papers, weekly magazines and other periodicals are not owned by government or semigovernment departments.

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Media Foundation set up
PPI - January  03, 2001

KARACHI : S.H. Hashmi of Orient McCann-Erickson has announced formation of Pakistan Media Foundation Trust (PMFT) for the welfare of journalists. 
The foundation with head office in Karachi has been registered with the government authorities under Trust Act(II) of 1982 and intends to work for the uplift of journalists and provide facilities to them. 
Hashmi has sponsored the Trust in pursuit of his objective to improve environment for working journalists. 
Objects of the Trust include development and promotion of the press and other mass media in Pakistan, encourage professional excellence in press and other media including advertising, arrange seminars and symposia, exchange of visits and to work for the promotion of world peace and understanding, democracy, freedom of press and preservation of human rights. 
Establishment of media centres, libraries, training centres and research institutes, arranging media exhibitions and exposure of literary works and institution of awards of professional excellence are also included in the objects. The affairs of the Trust would be run by a three member board of trustee headed by Hashmi.

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Trust for retired newspapers' employees being set up
APP - January  17, 2001

ISLAMABAD : A trust is being established for the welfare and financial assistance of the retired employees (pensioners) of the country's newspaper industry including the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), a premier news agency.
.......The proposed trust, to be registered under the Trust Act 1982, will be called as "Sheikh Manzoor Ahmad Associated Press of Pakistan / Newspapers Pensioners Public Relief Trust of Pakistan."
.......The trust to be headed by Sheikh Manzoor Ahmad will work under a board of trustees with renowned lawyer Ejaz Anwar Advocate as legal adviser.
.......The central office of the trust will be in Lahore, it was announced in a press statement by Sheikh Manzoor Ahmad (Retd), President APP Employees Union (CBA) Punjab and Chairman Tehrik Insadad-e-Jarayam, a welfare organisation.

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Peshawar High Court restrains administration from interfering in Press Club Affairs.
PPI - January 28, 2001

DERA ISMAIL KHAN : The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has directed the district administration not to interfere in the affairs of Dera Ismail Khan Press Club.
Delivering its judgement on a writ petition filed by DI Khan Press Club President Ahmed Khan Kamrani, PHC Judge Mr Justice Tariq Pervez said, "District administration has no right to interfere in the affairs of the press clubs and it is not fair to interfere the internal affairs of the Dera Ismail Khan Press Club by the deputy commissioner".
The writ petition maintained that the Dera Ismail Khan Press Club is an autonomous and registered body which has its own constitution.
The writ petition further maintained that the Dera Ismail Khan deputy commissioner and other officials of the press information department are continuously interfering in the matters of the press club and trying to impose their decisions on the authorities of the press club by force.
Sanaullah Gandapur appeared in the court on behalf of the press club and maintained in the court that the press club has been registered under the Act 21 of 1860 with Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Societies, NWFP, and not a public property.
He further argued that if the press club has violated any bye-laws then the affectee may approach only to the Registrar of Joint Stock and Companies.

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General Body of APNS endorses decision to boycott Wage Board
Business Recorder - January 30, 2001

KARACHI : The General Body of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, while endorsing the decision of the Executive Committee to boycott the 7th Wage Board, has directed the high-powered committee to further evaluate all available avenues and evolve any strategy to rescue the industry from the major financial and resource crunch faced by it.
Arshad A. Zuberi, Secretary General of the APNS, announced that at an Extra-ordinary General Body meeting held in Karachi on Monday, under the chairmanship of its President Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, the members reviewed the situation in light of the devastating interim relief announced by the 7th Wage Board chairman and unanimously expressed their inability to implement the same. The interim relief announced by the Wage Board chairman would cause over 37 to 39 percent impact on the salary bill of newspapers, which would not be affordable by the newspaper industry. The members noted that the package offered by the Federal Government to provide relief to the newspaper industry to face the newsprint crisis has no significant effect on the situation which has been further aggravated by the burden imposed by the interim relief.
The EGM considered all the pros and cons of resisting the Wage Board and resolved to brave the consequences with determination. The members felt that this had become inevitable in order to save the newspapers from Wage Board's crippling financial impact which would lead to more closures in the print media.
The APNS members noted that in this changing age when products are required to be market-oriented, the wages should also be determined by market forces. The EGM regretted that the newspaper organisations are the only institutions in the country which are still being governed by the Wage Board, whereas there is no such Wage Board for any other industry and even the application of the Wage Board from the banking sector has been eliminated long ago. The EGM demanded that since the present government has undone or altered the ill-fated and undesirable laws introduced by the previous governments, it should also move swiftly to eliminate the Newspaper Employees Conditions of Service Act, 1973 and Wage Board from the newspaper industry as well. The EGM expressed that in the age of globalisation and free economy, the concept of Wage Board is really deplorable, which creates hindrances in the availability of quality publications and journalism for the public.
The General Council of the APNS, while appreciating the views expressed by the Wage Board chairman in his interim relief order about the financial crisis facing newspapers and the recommendation to the government to withdraw all kinds of levies on newsprint and other imported consumables, noted that the government has continuously expressed its inability to implement them.
The General Council, attended by members from across the country, hoped that the high-powered committee of the APNS would put all best efforts to accomplish the responsibility assigned to it in letter and sprit.-PR

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