STAFF REPORTER
The APNS has expressed its reservations on the notification issued by the Ministry of Information on April 3, 2020 wherein new procedure of release of government advertisements and payment of advertisement bills has been notified. Mr Hameed Haroon President and Sarmad Ali Secretary General APNS have stated that the mechanism was proposed in the Draft Centralised Advertising Policy which has not yet been finalised through the consultations with the stake holders namely APNS , PBA and PAA as assured by the Ministry of Information. The APNS , PBA and PAA have already submitted their position papers but so far no consultation meeting has been convened by the Ministry. The APNS reiterated that the unilateral issuance of the notification by the Ministry of Information strongly suggests that the consultation process is meaningless for the Ministry as it has already decided to implement the draft policy inimical to fundamental press freedom. The APNS office bearers stated that the proposed mechanism is not feasible as presently all government advertising, display as well as classified, is released by advertising agencies which recover the payment of ads from sponsor departments and clear the dues of newspapers.
