JournalismPakistan.com
September 11, 2021

PESHAWAR—Journalists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have rejected the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA), terming it against freedom of expression and fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Journalists affiliated with different news organizations and members of the Peshawar Press Club and Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) adopted a unanimous resolution at a daylong seminar under the auspices of a non-governmental organization, Freedom Network, and DigiMAP.

The speakers said that the proposed legislation would nullify Article 19 and snatch the citizens' right to freedom of expression if enacted.

They said the proposed legislation would deprive journalists and media organizations of press freedom and deprive civil society, students, lawyers, teachers, lawmakers, trade unions, political and religious activists, and others of their fundamental rights.

Adnan Rehmat, Aftab Alam, Iqbal Khattak, and many newspersons from various national and international media organizations took part in the debate. The meeting passed a resolution rejecting the proposed legislation.