RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Government today [July 29] announced a 12-month moratorium on Press Laws, leaving the national Press free to regulate its conduct on a voluntary basis through its own Court of Honour. Congratulating the Standing Committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors on their having worked out a Code of Press Ethics, President Ayub declared today: “If your Court of Honour operates well there should be no need to take recourse to other laws. In course of time these laws should wither away”.

Addressing the CPNE Standing Committee, President Ayub said there was nothing derogatory about the imposition of self-control. No profession could run itself without its own discipline; each had to have certain norms. The object, he said, was to protect the man adhering to the norms and single out those who did not, as their failure to abide by principles did immense harm to the profession. “You are powerful enough to enforce it.” He added: “And I do not see why this unique experiment in self-restraint is not a success.”

[Meanwhile, as reported by our staff correspondent from Karachi], plans for organising a festival in Karachi sometime in February next were discussed at a meeting yesterday held under the chairmanship of the Commissioner, Syed Darbar Ali Shah. Approved by the West Pakistan Government, the festival which is proposed to be held after the close of the festival season in Europe, aims at attracting a large number of foreign tourists to the cosmopolitan City lying on the international route. During the course of the discussion it was revealed that the Export Promotion Bureau was organising an International Exhibition in Karachi sometime in February, 1966. It was, therefore, not considered advisable to hold two shows in the city simultaneously.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2015

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