LAHORE: The Federal Executive Council (FEC) of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has issued a Lahore Declaration rejecting the idea of the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) and called for unconditional withdrawal of the proposed merger of all media regulators.

The FEC held under the chair of President Shahzada Zulfiqar at the Lahore Press Club said the PMDA would severely undermine freedom of expression and independent journalism by serving as a centralised ‘headquarters of censorship’ and a ‘one-window operation’ to control public interest narratives and thereby operating as a ‘media martial law’.

The FEC instead proposed that discussions be initiated with the media stakeholders, civil society and political parties to reform the existing laws, which have mostly been enacted by martial law governments, to make them democratic and media-friendly.

The FEC expressed anguish over the growing threats to the lives of the journalists.

The FEC took up the issue of retrenchments, non-payment of salaries, delayed payments and cuts in salaries of journalists and workers, and partial implementation of the 8th Wage Board Award by some media houses.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2021