KARACHI, Nov 11: The Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister on Information, Hamid Hussain Abidi, said that the government wanted the media to take advantage of the freedom granted to them in a positive and constructive manner.

Talking to journalists at his office here on Sunday, Mr Abidi said that no restrictions had been imposed on the print media. However, he added, the ban on the transmission of various private TV channels had been lifted after they agreed to follow a code of conduct.

Negating the impression that the government has put any restriction on the media, the adviser said that the government wanted the media to take full advantage of the unprecedented freedom of expression and instead of promoting the cause of anti-Pakistan forces, the media should work toward building the image of the country.

He informed the newsmen that the Pakistan Broadcasters’ Association had not yet given their draft code of conduct. Mr Abidi said that the government did not want the media to create undue sensation to the detriment of the national interest.

Citing an example of an Urdu eveninger that wanted to publish two-hourly supplementary editions, he said that on persuasion the paper agreed to refrain from this plan but still it managed to take out three supplementary editions. Strongly denying reports of any raids or sealing off the offices of that paper, he said that legally the government could have closed down that publication as it was being published illegally from some other press. However, the government did not take any action in this regard, he added.

Further commenting on that eveninger, he accused the paper of publishing baseless stories.

He said that a few people in parts of the city protested against the imposition of emergency but this newspaper reported the matter as if the entire city was protesting against the decision.

The adviser said that if the local media had some reservations, the government was more than willing for table talks.

When asked about the decision of the Sindh government to offer jobs, while the government will soon be dissolved to make way for a caretaker setup, he said that the provincial government had completed all the formalities to provide jobs way back in 2005.

“Now it has decided to issue employment letters and till the dissolution of the Sindh Assembly the issuance of job letter will be completed,” he said.

He, however, said that the problem of unemployment could not be addressed merely by providing jobs in the government sector, the private sector must play it due role in this regard.—APP