Pakistan has no option but to win war on terror, says Kaira

By AFP
February 21, 2013

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said Thursday Pakistan had no option but to win the war...

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said Thursday Pakistan had no option but to win the war against terrorism both for ensuring national and regional security.

"If we lose this war, it would be the defeat of the whole region because no country can survive in isolation and dependency was more relevant in current scenario," said Kaira.

He was addressing the South Asian Media Summit on `Newspapers in the New Media Ecosystem' organized by the All Pakistan Newspapers Society here.

He said Pakistan was facing challenging circumstances, though since coming to rule, the government had re-established its writ in several areas, which were being used by terrorists as their havens.

Kaira told the participants, comprising newsmen from South Asian countries, the terrorism was not something indigenous rather it had been imposed on the country that had shattered its social fabric.

He said after 9/11, Pakistan was compelled to support the war on terrorism, realizing that the extremism had no borders.

The information minister said the government was proud of local media that had been playing vital role to improve Pakistan-India bilateral ties, which had, had deep impact on relations of SAARC countries as well.

The information minister said only media could play role to soften and develop the public opinion because the government and society were in dire need of media's effective role.

Kaira said Pakistan's market was open to all Indian films and dramas and also hoped that the same should be reciprocated from across the border. The matter was also taken up in a meeting between the prime minister and CEO of the Zee TV on Wednesday, he added.

Kaira said Pakistani media had played an effective role in all movements for protection of democracy and rule of law. He reiterated the government's resolve to ensure freedom of media, adding the nowhere across the world, media enjoyed such freedom as being done by that of Pakistan.

The minister said peace in Pakistan was vital for peaceful India and vice-versa that can be possible through positive public opinion to be developed by media partnership and exchange of media delegations between both the countries.

To a question, the minister expressed his willingness to review centralized media policy within two days saying that it had been formulated after through consultation with all the stakeholders.

Regarding the issues faced by the journalist community, the minister said the government awaited the names of nominees from journalist bodies and sought suggestions as how the journalists could be provided security cover.

Regarding the setting up endowment fund for journalists, the minister said the rules were yet to be framed in consultation with the representatives of the journalists.

Kaira said the information ministry had also finalized arrangements with the Employees Old Age Benefit Institution in which journalists would be registered individually as well as through their respective organizations. (APP)



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