KARACHI, March 14: All Pakistan Newspaper Empl-oyees Confederation (APNEC) and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and all their affiliated unions and units have rejected the proposed setting up of a Press Council and press regulatory laws the government has decided to introduce to “regulate” the press, through an ordinance.

After a hurriedly-called conference of the office-bearers of APNEC and PFUJ and their affiliated unions, the participants of the conference said that the reported government moves had brought to one’s mind the reminiscences of the era of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, who had introduced a number of black laws, including the outrageous Press and Publication Ordinance, 1963, to curb the press freedom, says a Press release issued here on Thursday.

A cursory look at the reported draft ordinance of the Pakistan Press Council (published in a section of press), had revealed that the working journalists would be the sole target of victimization should the government introduced the Press Council in its proposed form and other proposed laws, they said.

Instead of introducing half-cooked legislations, it was imperative for the government to ensure the implementation of various press-related laws such as the Newspapers Employees (Conditions and Service) Act, 1973, in the newspaper industry. Besides, laws which were in the draft stage such as Access to Information Law were required to be promulgated in consultations with the working journalists and other sections of society, they said.