KARACHI: Senator Sarmad Ali and Nazafreen Saigol Lakhani were unanimously reelected as President and Senior Vice President, respectively, at an annual general meeting of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) on Tuesday.

The APNS also elected Shahab Zuberi as Vice President, Muhammad Athar Kazi as Secretary General, Mohsin Bilal as Joint Secretary and Naveed Kashif as Finance Secretary.

Senator Sarmad Ali chaired the meeting.

The council unanimously approved a report of the executive committee for 2025-26, as well as annual accounts of the society for the year 2025.

The AGM, through a resolution, expressed its profound concern on the state of print media due to the present geopolitical and economic situation as it has brought about a severe financial crisis for newspapers.

Many of them are on the verge of collapse. The media looks to the government for sup-portinorderto bravethisEnancial crunch,` the resolution said.

The AGM called upon the federal government to implement a decision taken by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his previous tenure to increase advertisement rates.

The members requested the federal and provincial governments to clear outstanding dues of the newspaper industry, increase the quantum of advertisements and allocate a separate share for the print media in their advertising budget so that the newspaper industry is able to survive in the present situation.

The APNS adopted a resolution expressing its dismay over the ban on advertisements for Dawn Media for the last 17 months. The council noted that Dawn newspaper was facing an existential crisis due to the denial of government ads, describing the decision as unjust and unfair.

The AGM unanimously expressed its solidarity with Dawn Media Group in this hour of financial strangulation.

The General Council, which was attended by 118 membersfrom across the country, set up an election commission headed by Mumtaz Ahmed Phulpoto.

Ali Bin Younus and Nasir Dad Baloch were named as members.

The commission conducted the election of the executive committee for 2026-27.

The following dailies were elected unopposed to the APNS executive committee for the next tenure:Aghaz, Business Recorder, Dawn, Devanat, Jasarat, Jiddat, Karachi, Dunya, Jang, Khabrain,Nawa-i-Wagt,Pakistan, Lahore, Tijarat, Ausaf, Sahafat, Awam (Quetta), Mashrig (Quetta), Mashriq (Peshawar), Wahdat, Kaleem, Kawish, Aftab (Multan), Business Report, Paigham, City 42, Pakistan Observer, Halchal and Sayadat.

Monthlies Dastak, Naey Ufag, Naya Rukh, and Centre Line were elected on the seats for periodicals.

Also elected on periodical seats were weeklies Tabeer and AZM, as well as Ibrat, a fortnightly magazine.

The executive committee elected Mrs Zahida Abbasi of Daily Nau Sijj, Karachi, on a woman-publishers seat.