PESHAWAR, Dec 10: Senior journalists, editors and newspaper owners at an informal meeting here on Thursday night resolved to form a non-political organization , Save Peshawar Campaign (SPC), to ensure protection of cultural heritage of the historic city and work for its sustained development.

The participants expressed anguish over the gradual destruction of the historic image of Peshawar and decided to raise awareness against encroachments in the city from the platform of Save Peshawar Campaign.

The meeting resolved to struggle for the provision of basic civic amenities to citizens and find a feasible solution to problems. The meeting also took up the issue of the falling infrastructure of the city, besides other social and health hazards being faced by the people.

They resolved to ensure masses' participation in the campaign to achieve objectives of the organization. It was also decided at the meeting to hold public gatherings, walks to the Governor's House, Chief Minister House and Assembly Hall to ensure sensitisation and participation of the community in the campaign.

An all inclusive plan was also chalked out on this occasion to publish articles, columns and editorials to save the historic city from further destruction. The meeting expressed concern over the lukewarm attitude of the provincial government towards the miserable condition of the city infrastructure.

The participants noted with shock that the anti-encroachment drive, started some time ago, had come to a total halt, and said that most of the city passages and bazaars had been occupied by the encroachers.

The ill-planned urbanization and lack of repairs had turned both the walled city and the posh localities of the University Town, Gulberg and Hayatabad into ruins. They said that prolonged traffic jams on city roads had brought life to a standstill, but authorities were least bothered to resolve these issues.

The meeting named Syed Ayaz Badshah, Editor-in-Chief of daily The Statesman, and daily Mashriq, as convener of the Save Peshawar Campaign. Those expressed views during the meeting were: Syed Ayaz Badshah, Abdul Wahid Yousafi, editor daily Aaj; Suhail Shamshad, editor daily Subh; Sharif Farooq, editor daily Jihad; Pir Sufaid Shah Hamderd, editor daily Wahdat; Suhail Qalandar, resident editor of daily Express; Hafiz Sanaullah, editor of the Frontier Star; Hafeezullah, editor of daily Sarhad; M. Ismail Khan, Bureau Chief Of daily Dawn; Salim Safi, joint editor of daily Mashriq; Imtiaz Hussain, bureau chief of Online; Sajjad Haider, bureau chief of SANA, Shamim Shahid, bureau chief of The Nation; Behroz Khan, bureau chief of The News; and Syed Shakil Ahmad, bureau chief of Urdu News, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.