Staff Reporter
Peshawar: Peshawar Press Club has decided to provide a cash relief package of Rs100,000 to each of its honorary members on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha. Last year, the amount of the package was Rs60,000 per member.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the club’s Governing Body held on Friday under the chairmanship of the Club President, M. Riaz.
The meeting was attended by Vice President Zia-ul-Haq, General Secretary Alamgir Khan, Joint Secretary Gulzar Muhammad, Finance Secretary Irshad Ali and other members of the Governing Body.
The meeting noted that journalists are facing severe financial difficulties due to rising inflation, layoffs in media organizations and salary cuts. In view of these challenges, the elected body of the Press Club decided under its welfare agenda to enhance the Eid-ul-Adha relief package substantially.
The Governing Body unanimously approved increasing the cash relief package from Rs60,000 last year to Rs100,000 for each member this year.
To ensure financial discipline and transparency, it was decided that the relief package would be disbursed through cheques, as in previous years.
For this purpose, a committee comprising Vice President Zia-ul-Haq, General Secretary Alamgir Khan, Joint Secretary Gulzar Muhammad and Finance Secretary Irshad Ali was formed to oversee the distribution process.
The meeting also decided that the cheques would be delivered to honorary members at their respective offices. A schedule for the distribution will be announced later.
Addressing the meeting, President M. Riaz said that every penny of the Press Club’s financial resources is a sacred trust of its members and will be spent solely on their welfare.
He thanked the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, for providing a special grant to the Press Club. He also expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister’s Special Assistant for Information, Shafee Jan, and Secretary Information Matiullah Khan.
The Governing Body reviewed the response submitted by Shabbir Hussain Imam to a show-cause notice regarding allegations related to media convention expenses. The response was deemed unsatisfactory and contrary to the dignity of the Press Club, and the Governing Body unanimously ratified the suspension of his membership.
A three-member committee headed by Vice President Zia-ul-Haq was also formed to review entries for awards recognizing the best coverage of last year’s Fun Fair and this year’s Ramazan Sports Gala. The committee includes Saif-ul-Islam Saifi and Shah Faisal.
The Governing Body condemned the dismissal of workers from media organizations and paid tribute to Khyber Union of Journalists for its effective protest movement and programs. It reaffirmed the Press Club leadership’s commitment to continue full participation and cooperation in the struggle to safeguard the rights and interests of working journalists.
