PESHAWAR, June 21: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani has assured journalists that he will do his utmost to solve their problems, including implementation of the Seventh Wage Award.

Speaking to newsmen here in the premises of the provincial assembly building on Monday, he said that the federal government was also trying to get the wage award implemented in the national newspapers. He said he would continue his support for working journalists and newspaper employees.

The newsmen staged a token walkout from the NWFP assembly, as the speaker read out order of the day, against the advertisement campaign by the All Pakistan Newspapers Society. The journalists apprised MPAs about their demands.

Earlier, Anwar Kamal Marwat of the Pakistan Muslim League-N said opposition parties fully agreed with newsmen trying to get the wage award implemented. The four provincial assemblies (NWFP, Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab) and the National Assembly had all adopted unanimous resolutions for implementation of the wage award, he added.

Bashir Ahmed Bilour of the Awami National Party urged newspaper owners to implement the award in their organizations. He said the 1973 Constitution guaranteed journalists a salary package under the Newspaper Employees Act of 1973.

Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani of the PML (Q), Sikandar Hayat Sherpao of the PPP and Pir Mohammad Khan of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal also spoke on the demands made by the journalists.