Karachi (3 May 2025): In the annual elections of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) for the year 2025–26, Kazim Khan of Daily Dunya has been elected President and Ghulam Nabi Chandio of Daily Pak has been elected unopposed as Secretary General. Similarly, Ayaz Khan has been elected Senior Vice President, Tanveer Shaukat as Deputy Secretary General, Hamid Hussain Abidi as Finance Secretary, and Zia Tanoli as Information Secretary.
The elected Vice Presidents include Qazi Asad Abid, Adnan Zafar, Yahya Khan Sadozai, Mian Hassan Ahmed, and Muneer Ahmed Baloch. The Joint Secretaries elected are Tahir Farooq, Munazza Seham, Rafi Niazi, Arif Baloch, and Waqas Tariq Farooq.
Among the unopposed elected members of the Standing Committee are Dr. Jabbar Khattak, Ikram Sehgal, Akmal Chauhan, Babar Nizami, Maqsood Yousufi, Sher Muhammad Khawer, Sardar Muhammad Siraj, Mudassar Iqbal, Muhammad Owais Razi, Shehzad Amin, Irfan Athar, Shakeel Ahmad Turabi, Tazeen Akhtar, Anwar Sajdi, Mumtaz Ahmad Sadiq, Faqir Munthar Mangrio, Abdul Rehman Mangrio, Dr. Zubair Mehmood, Masood Khan, Fazal Haq, Zulfiqar Ahmad Rahat, Ali Ahmad Dhillon, Aamir Mehmood, Syed Intizar Hussain Zanjani, Aslam Mian, Ali Hamza Afghan, Ayaz Memon, Mudassar Alam, and Mahmood Alam Khalid.
In a meeting of the Standing Committee, newly elected President Kazim Khan reiterated CPNE’s commitment to safeguarding Pakistan’s journalistic frontiers through truthful and verified reporting. He also affirmed continued resistance against the misuse of the PECA Act. He emphasised that the authorities must learn to distinguish between criticism and contempt, and called for the fair distribution of government advertisements.
On the occasion of the Annual General Meeting, the House unanimously condemned India’s unilateral move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty based on a fabricated incident in Pahalgam. This action was declared a blatant violation of international law. A resolution also condemned India’s war hysteria, stating it poses a grave threat to the lives and security of over two billion people in the region, and termed the rising Pakistan-India tensions as a danger to global peace.
The meeting was informed that the government has acknowledged the responsible role of Pakistan’s print, electronic, and digital media in effectively countering Indian propaganda and promoting the national narrative. In light of this, a resolution was passed demanding the repeal of all laws that contravene freedom of expression and urging the government to ensure full media independence.
To mark World Press Freedom Day on May 3, CPNE also launched its annual Media Freedom Report during the session.
Issued by: Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors
