KARACHI: The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) has condemned the move on the part of federal as well as Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to stop providing advertisements to the Dawn and Jang media groups, terming the act a violation of the principles of press freedom.

In a press release, the APNS said its executive committee at a meeting held in Islamabad adopted a unanimous resolution condemning the policy to deny the release of advertisements to the country’s two major media groups.

The resolution said the executive committee was of the considered opinion that the ban on the two media groups was not only intended to curb freedom of the press by using advertisements as a lever to influence the editorial policy of news organisations but was also aimed at silencing any dissenting voices in the media.

The resolution further said the executive committee of APNS stood by Dawn and Jang media groups and urged the federal and provincial governments to immediately review their policy and restore the release of advertisements to them.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2020