Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has assured that challans against plots for 467 news members of the Karachi Press Club will be issued soon.
He was talking to a delegation of Karachi Union of Journalists which called on him under the leadership of its President Afzal Mohsin.
The delegation conveyed its concern over non-issuance of challans despite repeated assurances on the part of Sindh government during last 4 years. It also demanded equal treatment to KPC, and all journalist groups vis-à-vis issuance of grants and benevolent funds.
The KUJ delegation said that for the first time in history, the Sindh government has allotted plots to a particular group of journalists while ignoring the KPC, and other journalist groups.
In case of any eventuality, it pointed out, even members of KPC would not benefit from the benevolent fund because it had been earmarked only for a particular group of journalists.
The KUJ office bearers reminded the information minister that in 1974, and 1996, the then PPP government had allotted plots for journalists belonging to KPC and the two groups of KUJ. But, they added, this time, the government had allotted plots to one group of journalists, of them, many had already got plots through press club in recent past.
Mr. Memon, in principle, agreed with the points raised by the KUJ office bearers saying that there should be a mechanism whereby all the journalists must benefit from the benevolent fund instead of one particular group.
He assured that he would personally talk to Sindh chief minister to find out a way to resolve this technical mistake.
The minister said the PPP government believed in equal treatment to all the journalists irrespective of their group affiliation.
