CHAKWAL: Pakistan Press Council Chairman Shafqat Mahmood Abbasi has said that apology and regret are the two things that amount to a big punishment and these two things are very significant in an Islamic society and the civilized countries.

Addressing the concluding session of the two-day journalism training workshop of the CPDI, he said while Geo News has sought apology and regretted committing a mistake then the dispute should end.

The Press Council chairman said the media itself prepares its code of conduct and it is acknowledged that the media is not free of moral and social values. Parliament is a supreme institution and is also bound by certain rules and regulations. He said that journalists have won press freedom with much struggle and has not been gifted by any ruler.

The chairman said the press freedom allowed in Pakistan is not granted to the media even in India, which is the biggest democracy of the world. He said while a vibrant media and independent judiciary are necessary for a strong democracy, media suffers greatest danger from within. He said the media should hold internecine talks. He said the print media in Pakistan is very responsible and the electronic media is only 12 years old and requires to be made more responsible. Shafqat said the law of right to information in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa will strengthen the media. He expressed hope that the situation of the media will improve.