PESHAWAR
Caretaker Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel, emphasized the necessity of amending the rules governing the Journalist Welfare Endowment Fund to better support journalists.
He stressed the importance of proposing amendments that consider the financial challenges faced by journalists, with the goal of gaining approval from the provincial cabinet.
Regarding financial assistance aspects within the fund rules, he pointed out the need for improvements in unemployment and pension allowances. These improvements would provide better support to senior journalists who are unemployed and facing financial difficulties.
He urged regular meetings to ensure timely processing of applications for financial assistance.
Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel issued these directions while presiding a meeting of Journalist Endowment Fund Committee in Peshawar.
The meeting was attended by Syed Jabbar Shah, Secretary of Information & Public Relations for the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Imran Khan, Director General of Information & Public Relations, Liaqat Amin, Director of Public Relations, Ansarullah Khilji, Press Registrar, Muhammad Ayub, the Budget Officer of the Finance Department, Arshad Aziz Malik, President of Press Club Peshawar, Bakht Muhammad, President of Mardan Press Club, senior journalist M Riaz, and other committee members.
During the meeting, applications for financial support from various journalists were reviewed.
Financial support was approved for complete applications, while incomplete applications were scheduled for consideration in the next meeting. In his address, the Information Minister acknowledged the challenging conditions in which journalists work and affirmed the caretaker government’s commitment to utilize all available resources for the welfare of journalists.
He recognized the pivotal role of journalists in promoting transparency in government affairs and disseminating government initiatives to the public. The Information Minister pledged to introduce amendments to optimize the Journalist Welfare Endowment Fund’s utility, ensuring that journalists receive timely and enhanced assistance during challenging times.
He also instructed that the application process for financial assistance and other procedures should be simplified for the convenience of journalists.
