KARACHI: The All Paki­stan Newspapers Society (APNS) has criticised what it has called the uncalled-for and misleading observation by federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry that the future of print media in Pakistan is bleak.

In response to what the minister said at a media talk, the secretary general of the society, Sarmad Ali, said the print media is presently facing financial difficulties due to the policies of the government that “intends to control the media and to silence the dissenting voices”, according to an APNS statement on Thursday.

The APNS reiterated its resolve to fight against the adverse conditions and ensure that the print media successfully braved the crisis, it added.

“The past 70 years’ history of the print media is witness to the fact that despite all odds, censorship, curtailment of advertisements and other tactics to intimidate media by different civil and military regimes the print media not only survived but flourished,” the statement said.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2019