The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has worked since its foundation in 1957 as the combined body of newspaper editors in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors voices concern at curbs on media freedom
Dawn (newspaper), Published 24 May 2018, Retrieved 31 July 2019 to campaign for defence of

press freedom Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerci ...

and the right of

access to information Access may refer to: Companies and organizations * ACCESS (Australia), an Australian youth network * Access (credit card), a former credit card in the United Kingdom * Access Co., a Japanese software company * Access Healthcare, an Indian BPO se ...

in the service of democratic practice and strengthening of democratic institutions in the country. However, one editor of the ''

Business Recorder ''Business Recorder'' is a financial daily newspaper in Pakistan which was founded by M.A. Zuberi. The publication is owned by the Business Recorder Group.

'' (newspaper) claimed the group was founded in 1958 by the merger of the Pakistan Newspapers Editors Conference and Newspapers Editors Council of Pakistan. As of 2014, its President is Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami. The members of this prestigious organization of the newspaper editors have also adopted a

Code of Ethics Ethical codes are adopted by organizations to assist members in understanding the difference between right and wrong and in applying that understanding to their decisions. An ethical code generally implies documents at three levels: codes of bus ...

which lays down the norms for maintaining the dignity of the print media as a non-partisan and professional high standard in member publications in respect of publications of news, views, comments and other write-ups.

Work

The CPNE has been in constant dialogue with the

Pakistan Government The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territories ...

and the provincial Governments on the subject of press freedom. The President or the

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...

have been the chief guests at the annual functions hosted each year by the CPNE to highlight the working of the CPNE and its achievements in the field of securing freedom of press and a working relationship between the CPNE and the government in the service of press freedom and access to information. CPNE cooperates with other relevant bodies and organizations in Pakistan such as

All Pakistan Newspapers Society All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) is an organization of major Pakistani newspapers, their publishers, companies, and corporations. It includes the Jang Group of Newspapers, Dawn Group of Newspapers, and Nawa-i-Waqt Group of Newspapers. ...

Pakistan Bar Council The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) ( ur, ) was established by the Parliament in 1973 under the Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils Act. It is the highest elected body of lawyers in Pakistan. It has twenty two members elected from across the count ...

and

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) is a trade union federation of journalists in Pakistan. PFUJ is affiliated with the International Federation of Journalists. History The constitution of the PFUJ was first adopted in Karachi in A ...

to issue joint statements on urgent ongoing press freedom and news media issues. The CPNE has a Media Monitoring Cell and has maintained collaborative relations with several international print media organizations and has also sought the promotion of bilateral and regional ties among the newspaper editor bodies of the countries in the region and the world. In keeping with the

UN Charter The Charter of the United Nations (UN) is the foundational treaty of the UN, an intergovernmental organization. It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: the ...

, the CPNE in its code of ethics has placed great stress on defending fundamental human rights in which access to information is of great and critical significance. The CPNE has sponsored collaboration at the

South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, ...

(also called

SAARC The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, ...

) level and at the bilateral level with neighboring countries. The International Relations Committee of the CPNE seeks expanded bilateral and regional ties in the print media field so that the friendly understanding in the print media field at the level of newspaper editors is further promoted and cemented. In May 2018, the president of CPNE

Arif Nizami Arif Nizami ( Punjabi, ur, ; 14 October 1948 – 21 July 2021) was a Pakistani journalist and caretaker federal minister who was the founder of the ''Pakistan Today''. Previously, he had been an editor of ''The Nation'' and had served as Mini ...

and the secretary general Jabbar Khattak expressed their concern over ongoing attempts to impose restrictions on freedom of expression to affect the distribution of newspapers and electronic media transmissions in Pakistan. They made a joint statement to highlight recent attacks by certain elements especially when Pakistan was gearing up for upcoming

Pakistani general election, 2018 General elections were held in Pakistan on Wednesday, 25 July 2018 to elect the members of 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Musli ...

. In May 2019,

was elected again as president of CPNE.Arif Nizami re-elected CPNE president
Dawn (newspaper), Published 3 May 2019, Retrieved 31 July 2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Council Of Pakistan Newspaper Editors 1957 establishments in Pakistan Newspapers published in Pakistan Pakistani journalism organisations