Abbottabad: Advisor to the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Information Barrister Dr. Muhammad Saif on Saturday declared that Pakistan was experiencing a significant shift and government was facing global challenges.
While talking to the media at Abbottabad Press Club, he highlighted the KP Government’s efforts toward social welfare and said that revolutionary steps were being taken to ensure life insurance coverage for the people of the province. He also said that children of Abbottabad journalists will be included in the province’s Education Card program, and the government is increasing the Journalists’ Endowment Fund. ‘The provincial government is establishing its own insurance companies,’ he revealed, while also announcing the launch of a new transmission company aimed at providing affordable electricity to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s residents. The provincial government will reduce electricity costs in line with constitutional provisions, Saif added.
Dr. Saif also disclosed the provincial government’s in
terest in acquiring the national airline, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), following its privatization. He confirmed that a letter has been sent to the relevant board to take the initiative forward, referring to PIA as a ‘national asset.’ He further expressed his personal attachment to Abbottabad, a city he considers his ‘second home,’ and assured journalists that a media colony would be established in Abbottabad to provide them with plots.
Dr. Saif pledged that a media colony would be established for the journalists of Abbottabad, ensuring they have access to property ownership. He confirmed that the media colony for Kohat Press Club was in its final stages and a similar project for Abbottabad Press Club was a high priority, with directives already issued by the Chief Minister. Dr. Saif added that necessary funding would also be provided to facilitate this initiative.
The longstanding demand for a media colony for Mansehra Press Club has also been noted, he said, underscoring that protecting journali
sts’ rights sometimes required taking firm measures.
Without appropriate legislation, he explained, it will be challenging to ensure that journalists receive institutional support. He urged the journalist community to collaborate with the government in safeguarding their rights and requested legislative recommendations from Abbottabad journalists.
Addressing further concerns, Dr. Saif assured that issues of financial irregularities and other problems at Radio Abbottabad, managed by the Information Office, would be investigated and resolved. He reiterated his commitment to addressing these issues and ensuring transparency.
During the event, the Presidents and General Secretaries of Abbottabad’s Press Club and Union of Journalists raised the critical need for a media colony. They also called for increased advertisement quotas, timely payment of dues, and better educational facilities for journalists’ children to ease the economic pressures on media professionals.