ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry Friday said the government believes in freedom of expression and would continue to facilitate the growth of free and responsible media.In a meeting with a delegation of All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) here, the minister said independent media was sine qua non for strengthening democracy and nurturing democratic values and norms in the society.

While dilating on the Government’s proposal regarding formation of media regulatory authority, Fawad assured the delegation that no law would be introduced without consulting the media and their representative bodies. He said the proposed legislation primarily was aimed at facilitating the media by merging various regulatory authorities to ensure one window operation particularly for those who knocked at separate doors for their complaints.

With regard to the release of advertisements, the minister reiterated the resolve of the government to bring transparency and fairness as far as the process was concerned. He said that during the tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, advertisements were not released fairly and they were used as a means for self-projection and promotion of personal interests. Fawad also asked the APNS to present their proposals for bringing transparency in the release of government advertisements.

The delegation also discussed other issues including payment of outstanding dues. The minister assured his full support and cooperation for the resolution of the issues raised by the APNS delegation. Shafqat Jalil, Principal Information Officer, and Tahir Khushnood, Director General Internal Publicity Wing, were also present on the occasion.