KARACHI, March 23: The standing committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has reiterated its commitment to safeguarding freedom of expression and resolved to continue the struggle without fear of consequences.

Syed Fasih Iqbal chaired the meeting.

The committee, which met in Islamabad on Friday, reviewed incidents that had taken place during the past two weeks after the presidential action against Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

The editors deplored the administration’s moves to impede the journalists’ working.

The CPNE observed that the freedom of expression available to the media at present had not come to it on a silver platter. “It was hard-earned and enshrined in the Constitution.”

During the past two weeks, efforts had been made to stifle the press and journalists were attacked to discourage them from performing their duties, the committee said.

The meeting expressed concern over the police assault on the Islamabad bureau of the Geo TV and on journalists in Islamabad and Lahore.

The CPNE said the regret expressed by President Pervez Musharraf over the Geo attackwould be ‘inconsequential’ till the arrest of the culprits.

It appealed to the Supreme Judicial Council to review its decision to hear the reference against Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in camera. “This decision is being interpreted by the administration in its own way and creating problems for the media.” The participants offered prayers for Ahmad Ali Khan, a chief editor of Dawn, and for Adnan Shahid, an editor of The Post.—Agencies