The Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) has elected Azhar Abbas as its President and Tariq Mahmood as General Secretary.
According to the election results, Muhammad Usman and Mian Tahir were elected Vice Presidents, Rehan Ahmed and Nadeem Jamal Joint Secretaries, and Shahab Mahmood Finance Secretary.
The General Council of AEMEND, in meetings held in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, also elected the remaining members of the Executive Committee. The newly elected members include Zahid Mazhar, Masoom Rizvi, Mohsin Raza, Mubarak Ali, Kamran Lashari, Humayun Saleem, Muhammad Naushad Kahwaja Hasnain and Razaq Sarohi.
The General Council of AEMEND expressed grave concern over the deteriorating state of press freedom in Pakistan and the growing use of government powers and state institutions to restrict independent journalism.
The Council also voiced concern over the alleged misuse of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and the actions of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
It observed that the irresponsible conduct of certain YouTubers, under the guise of journalism, appeared to serve personal or political agendas. However, AEMEND emphasised that the actions of a few individuals could not justify imposing restrictions on the media as a whole.
The General Council resolved that the newly elected Executive Committee would hold a detailed deliberation on the overall media situation in the country and subsequently issue a comprehensive statement outlining the association’s position.