Meeting also elected Shahab Zuberi as VP, Muhammad Athar Kazi as GS
All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) convened its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the APNS House in Karachi, where members unanimously elected Sarmad Ali as the new President for the term 2025-26.
The meeting, attended by 107 members from across the country, also saw the election of Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani as Senior Vice President, Shahab Zuberi as Vice President, Muhammad Athar Kazi as Secretary General, Mohsin Bilal as Joint Secretary, and Naveed Kashif as Finance Secretary.
The AGM, chaired by Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani, President of the Society, approved the Executive Committee’s report for 2024-2025 along with the Annual Accounts of 2024.
An Election Commission, formed under the leadership of Mumtaz Ahmed Phulpoto, along with Syed Irfan Shah and Ali Bin Younus, successfully conducted the elections for the Executive Committee for 2025-26.
Several prominent daily and periodical publications were elected unopposed to the Executive Committee, including Daily Dawn, Daily Jang, Daily Business Recorder, Daily Times, Daily Dunya, Daily Pakistan Observer، Daily Pakistan Lahore, Daily Khabrain, Daily Mashriq (Peshawar & Quetta), Daily Aghaz, Daily City42, and Monthly Naey Ufaq, among others.
Additionally, Mrs.Zahida Abbasi of Daily Nau Sijj, Karachi, was elected on the woman-publisher seat, while Daily Kaleem Sukkur was co-opted on the Sindh (excluding Karachi) Dailies seat due to the absence of Javed Mehr Shamsi, who was unable to attend due to a personal loss.
One of the key issues discussed at the AGM was the continued ban on government advertisements for certain publications, particularly Daily Dawn and Daily Sahafat.
Members strongly condemned what they termed as an attempt at pressurizing newspapers into editorial compliance by withholding advertisements.
The APNS reaffirmed that government advertisements are not a privilege but a right for newspapers, as these ads are financed by taxpayers’ money and are meant to ensure public access to government information.
The Council urged the Ministry of Information to immediately lift the bans on affected newspapers and ensure a fair, transparent, and unbiased allocation of advertising funds.
The APNS members expressed deep concern over the economic crisis affecting the print media industry, stating that many newspapers are on the verge of collapse due to rising operational costs and dwindling revenues.
The Council highlighted the urgent need for government support to sustain independent journalism in Pakistan.
A key resolution passed at the meeting urged the new Federal Government to implement the previously approved decision by former Prime Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to increase government advertisement rates.
The APNS also called on both federal and provincial governments to clear outstanding dues owed to newspapers and increase the share of print media in government advertising budgets.
With a new leadership team in place, the APNS aims to continue advocating for press freedom, financial stability, and editorial independence.
The elected officials pledged to engage with the government to ensure a fairer media policy, while also exploring alternative revenue models to safeguard the future of print journalism in the country.
The Annual General Meeting served as a stark reminder of the pressing challenges facing Pakistan’s newspaper industry, as well as the resilience of media professionals determined to uphold the principles of free and independent journalism.
