CPNE rejects the notification of permission for a press conference at the Quetta Press Club

KARACHI, August 29 (SABAH): The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) has rejected the notification of permission for a press conference at the Quetta Press Club, terming it an attack on press freedom that could be replicated in other provinces after Balochistan.

In a joint statement, CPNE President Arshad Ahmad Arif, Senior Vice President Anwar Sajdi, Secretary-General Ejazul Haq, and Vice President Munir Baloch said that protecting press freedom has been our top priority since day one, so we cannot accept any decree that blocks the path to freedom of expression and the constitutional right to know.

They said that we should avoid every step that poses a threat to national security and stability, learning from the lessons of East Pakistan’s tragedy. They demanded that the government immediately withdraw the notification of permission for the press conference at the Quetta Press Club and restore the democratic atmosphere in the country.