PESHAWAR, June 23: The NWFP Governor, Lt-Gen Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, has said that promotion of friendly relations between the government and the press were among the priorities of the government.

 He added, the freedom of expression allowed speaks of the confidence being reposed by the government in the journalist community.

Speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected office-holders of Khyber Union of Journalists at Peshawar Press Club on Saturday morning, the governor highlighted various issues of national interests.

He said that for many years this region has been the centre of a lot of attraction for the world community, and this was why Pakistan is being placed in a very unique position these.

In recent times, the governor said, a series of shocking events have taken place, which brought many challenges for Pakistan.

On the one hand, we were facing difficult times because of the Afghan issue, and on the other hand was the tension on the eastern border.

He said, it is wrong to think that if Pakistan is cooperating in the war against terrorism it was being dictated by any country. We should not forget, he added, hat fighting terrorism is not only the West’s necessity, it is our need as well, because, it is a major hurdle in the national development.

He said that if we want to progress, we will have to walk hand-in-hand with the world community. It is not a matter of choice, it is a must thing for us.

The governor also hinted at the corruption in society saying everyone desires become a millionaire overnight here. This has has shattered the entire fabric of society. Selfishness, greed and misuse of funds and power, he added, have become a way of life here.

He said the journalists and writers have a role to play in bringing about a shift in the attitude of the people. They can show them the way - the right way ahead.

Coming back to the Afghan issue, the governor said, it provided the local journalists the opportunity compete and interact with the international journalist community. It was a good experience for everyone.

Referring to the welcome address by Javed Aziz Khan, the newly-elected president of the Peshawar Press Club, the governor assured the journalists that the government would provide them better conditions to be bale to perform their professional responsibilities more efficiently.

He also said that the government had established a welfare fund with Rs1 million as seed money for the journalist community. He announced a grant of Rs250,000 for the Khyber Union of Journalists, and another grant of Rs100,00O for the improvement of facilities at the Press Club. He also promised to provide one kanal for the expansion of the club.

Earlier, the governor administered oath to the new office-holders including Javed Aziz Khan, President, Farmanullah Jan, Senior Vice-President, and Zahid Ali Askar, General Secretary.