KARACHI, May 19: The Standing Committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE), at a meeting held here on Friday, condemned the breakdown of law and order in Karachi on May 12, along with the deplorable armed attack on the offices of the Business Recorder newspaper and Aaj television.

At the meeting, chaired by CPNE President Syed Faseih Iqbal, the Standing Committee unanimously passed a resolution rejecting the excuses being offered by officials at the provincial and federal levels justifying the inaction of the law enforcement agencies against the perpetrators of the attack.

While demanding a comprehensive judicial probe at the highest level into the happenings in Karachi, the meeting noted with great regret that law-abiding citizens in the city felt unsafe on May 12 because of the failure of the law enforcement agencies to ensure peace and safety.The meeting was briefed on the ordeal suffered by members of the staff of the Business Recorder and Aaj TV by Wamiq A. Zuberi, Secretary-General of the CPNE and Editor of the Business Recorder.

The meeting declared in its resolution that the CPNE stood by its member-editor of the Business Recorder and also in defence of the electronic media, with the reiteration of its stand that all member publications must adhere to the Code of Ethics of the CPNE that provided for objectivity and impartiality in covering news. It urged the electronic media to also adhere to that code.

VISIT: The CPNE Standing Committee members, led by Syed Faseih Iqbal, on Saturday visited the offices of Business Recorder and Aaj TV to show their solidarity and support in the backdrop of the May 12 incidents, adds PPI.