KARACHI, Jan 16: The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors has condemned the federal government move of stopping government advertisements to ‘Dawn’ and rejected pressure tactics to seek changes in newspapers’ editorial policies.

In an emergency session on Tuesday, a standing committee of the CPNE said it was against the use of advertisement as a lever against a newspaper. The members of the committee said such moves – unsuccessful in the past – would continue to fail because of unity among print media representative bodies like the CPNE and the All Pakistan Newspapers Society.

The members expressed sympathy with the family members of the Editor of Daily Express Peshawar, Sohail Qalandar, and urged the authorities to step up efforts for the safe and early recovery of the missing journalist. They also condemned the killing of journalist Makhdoom Rafiq of Khairpur and called upon the authorities to arrest those behind the crime.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the APNS met Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim on Tuesday. The chief minister said the provincial government had not taken action against any newspaper. He added that no journalist had been arrested by his government.—Agencies