KARACHI: Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has expressed serious concern over demolition of newspaper stalls in the city and condemned officials of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and police for taking away newspapers after dismantling stalls.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, CPNE president Arif Nizami, secretary general Dr Jabbar Khattak and standing committee members said that it seemed the city administration and police were misusing orders of honourable courts on encroachments in their action against newspaper stalls which had been operating with official permission and paying government taxes for many decades.

They demanded Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Syed Saifur Rehman and Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon stop the action against newspaper stalls immediately.

The CPNE representatives also raised concern on hawker unions’ announcement of closure of all stalls in Karachi.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2019