KARACHI, Aug 23: The standing committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors at its meeting here on Thursday urged the federal government to promulgate without any further delay the agreed legislation on newspapers and periodicals since the absence of this legislation was creating tremendous difficulties for member publications even in their day-to-day work.

The committee meeting presided over by Mujibur Rehman Shami considered the matter at length.

The meeting also considered the draft legislation on Freedom of Information and the draft legislation on Defamation. The various amendments suggested in the two proposed ordinances were also discussed. It was felt that the CPNE should give its reply to the federal ministries on the two draft legislations at the earliest. It was decided to constitute a seven-member committee which will take up the two legislations, consider the amendments received and finalise its stand on the two legislations within a week.

The meeting was then briefed on the tripartite meeting held between the CPNE delegation and the ministers of information and religions affairs earlier this month in Islamabad where the subject of avoiding obscenity in the print media and upholding the dignity of women in the pictorial coverage were discussed and agreement reached on ensuring proper observance of the CPNE Code of Ethics by newspapers and periodicals.

The meeting decided that the Code of Ethics should be printed and circulated.

The meeting also welcomed Advocate Munawwar Ghani’s acceptance of being the honorary legal adviser of the CPNE, and agreed to appoint Messrs Sethna Associates as auditors.