KARACHI, Dec 19: The All Pakistan Newspapers Society has termed the draft bill of the Press and Publication Regulatory Authority a draconian law and vowed to strongly resist all efforts to strangulate the press, says an APNS press statement issued on Tuesday.

Announcing the resolutions and decisions taken by the ANPS executive committee in a meeting held in Lahore on Monday, APNS Secretary-General Kazi Asad Abid said the members of the executive committee criticised the federal government for seeking to foist upon the print media an organisation like the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority.

The press statement says the members resolved that the newspaper industry would not surrender to the dictates of the establishment as it was not a nascent industry but a mature and experienced media that had fought a long battle to achieve press freedom.

“The executive committee noted that the draft bill is not related to the audit of circulation as claimed by the ministry of information, but is mainly aimed at regulating the press, news agencies and advertising agencies,” says the press statement. It says the draft bill grants the proposed authority sweeping powers to inspect and raid printing presses and offices of publications, news agencies and advertising agencies for on-the-spot checking of records and accounts.