KARACHI: The All Pak­istan Newspapers Society (APNS) has announced a nationwide campaign to encourage reading habits in the country with focus on newspaper reading.

According to a statement, APNS president Hameed Haroon and secretary general Sarmad Ali said that in order to improve newspaper reading, a nationwide campaign catering to all segments of society would be launched. They emphasised the need for newspapers to connect with the youth.

The APNS announced Sept 25, 2019 as the national Newspaper Reading Day.

The office-bearers requested President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan to officially announce the day so that it could be celebrated at the national level. The APNS also requested the postal service to issue a memorial postal stamp on the occasion.

The selection of Sept 25 was related to the publication of the first multi-page newspaper Publick Occurrences from America in 1690, the statement said.

The APNS stated that to encourage and inculcate awareness amongst the youth of the country, different activities and competitions would be arranged in educational institutions. In this respect, the federal and provincial ministries of information and education were being requested for cooperation, it added.

The APNS member publications would take measures to educate the youth on the benefits of newspaper reading. Press clubs across the country, women NGOs and social activists would be requested to take part in the campaign. The APNS said efforts would also be made to activate electronic and social media to participate in the campaign.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2019