PESHAWAR, Sept 5: The Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) has rejected the formation of Press Council and formulation of what it called “draconian laws” aimed at enforcing censorship and curtailing the press freedom in the country.

In a joint statement, issued here on Thursday, KhUJ President Javed Aziz and Secretary Zahid Ali Askar said the formation of the so-called Press Council was the negation of the very spirit of the press freedom.

They feared that those newspapers, which were critical of the government policies, would be repressed by the council.

The statement said the defamation laws could empower any person of dubious character to intimidate newsmen by filing lawsuits against them.

The KhUJ office-bearers were of the view that the law could also be used for covering up corruption in the government departments. They urged the government to withdraw the ordinance recently approved by the cabinet.