KARACHI, June 19: Speakers at a seminar on press freedom held here on Sunday said that free press was the first sign of a vibrant society. The seminar was organized by Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Sindh at the Quba Auditorium. JI Pakistan Naib Amir Assadullah Bhutto said that the print and electronic media should play their role for complete restoration of democracy. He said that the media should help citizens by putting its weight behind the ballot and rejecting the use of bullet in polls.

CPNE General Secretary Dr Abdul Jabbar Khattak alleged that curbs had been imposed on the media in the guise of rules and regulations. He said that pressures on the press could not continue for long because of the speedy expansion of electronic media. He said that cases were being registered against newsmen for breach of the official secrets act.

Karachi Press Club secretary Najeeb Ahmed said that society should learn to tolerate criticism. He said that politicians raised slogans for press freedom only when they were not in power.

Editor of Khabroon Zaheer Mirnai said there was no press freedom, nor was there any hope for it. He said that the society did not tolerate the truth and those who dared to tell it. He also said that without creating a just society there was no use of freedom of the press.

JI Sindh Amir Dr Mumtaz Memon, ARD Sindh president and PML-N Sindh vice-president Zain Ansari also spoke.—PPI