Monday, May 08, 2017
Kabul (BNA) President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, in a meeting of journalists and media workers conferred high state medals to some journalists, saying journalists should distinguish between foe and friends, presidential palace said in a statement Sunday.
In the meeting, at the outset, Shah Zaman Maiwandi, senior advisor to the president on public and strategic relations said the presidential move to mark world media day and close cooperation with media indicates that the government support freedom of expression, said the statement.
He said his office was fully committed to provide all kind of facilities to media and journalists, the statement added.
“Under the information access decree, all administrations and government offices have to share information with the media and that we want to hear from you and remove all obstacles before you [the media],” said the statement.
Chief of journalists safety committee, Najeeb Sharifi thanked the president of appreciating journalists and said in 2016 13 journalists lost their lives and they are facing violence, but never ready to leave their work and with cooperation of the government have still kept their world rank 120 according to the statement.
The committee chief regretted for failure of some government administration, ministries and provincial governments to implement decrees and orders issued on the freedom of media, cooperation with media and access to information however the committee was established,
the statement continued.
He said the people have not still trust in media and there was a need to increase public awareness by the government, the statement quoted.
Some journalists attended the meeting also spoke about the issue, with the president after hearing their statements lauded them of daring any hard condition and dangers to do their responsibility, the statement observed.
The president said such discussion was prolific for the national interest and added that work for freedom of expression shouldn’t be one sided, but this was a responsibility should be carried out bilaterally.
The president advised that media should respect personalities’ rights of freedom and that no one had the right to condemn others, according to the statement. “We thought the past 40 year-long crisis were natural. We should understand each other and judge based on the current situation,” said the president adding bringing others to the discussion ground required tolerance and “If we don’t do this precisely, we would lay apart from the people.”
The president said: “We are five generations, living with each other, but with different opinions and for a transparent persistence of freedom of expression, there should be a national discussion to understand each other and stabilize the society.”
He said: “We had powerful nation and weak states. The nations could protect government not governments the nations.” The president tasked Sayed Aqa Fazel Sancharaki for soon adopting measure in implementation of journalists’ wages and insurance regulation and addressing the journalists said: “I am ready to change the rule into decree, legislative decree and law as this was not acceptable that the journalists’ families remain without stipend.” He said media should abide by the law and culture, because if property was personal, but responsibility was national and warned the private sector for not having the right to force one leave job unless provide reasonable document. The president of the country said that all provincial governors would be tasked through video conferences not hisisitate to share information with the media or would finally be punished, said the statement. The second vice-president was also tasked to take regular meeting with the journalist safety committee and share the report in case he failed to do this, the statement quoted adding information system sharing system should be established in the administrations. President Ghani said collecting information should be changed into a principle and that electronic governance would be his government main focus this year and the future.
He condemned the international terrorists for being attempting to change the country into the hub disability and insecurity, but vice versa the government was doing its best to change it into security and cooperation and said in term security 2016 was full of challenges. The president said the media failed to cover the government’s last two years of efforts not to let occur any problem, after Pakistan closed its border to Afghanistan and asked the journalist to reflect what has been done in the past positive and tangible and the journalists’ support and cooperation and creation of trust and cooperation atmosphere was very essential.
“Distinguish between foe and friend,” said the president as quoted by the statement.
