KARACHI, March 2: The executive committee of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society has decided to hold its extraordinary general council and annual general council meetings in Karachi on March 17.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the executive committee held in Islamabad under the chairmanship of APNS president Arif Nizami. A press release says the committee unanimously adopted the annual report of the secretary-general for the year 2004-05 and annual accounts for the year 2004.

The committee expressed its dismay over the indifferent attitude of the MMA government in NWFP in responding to the APNS resolution adopted in the last meeting relating to the ban on government advertisements for the daily Mashriq and the Statesman, Peshawar, "which suggests that the provincial government has decided to continue with its policies to victimize the dissenting press". A sub-committee was formed to take up the issue with the chief minister.