The AEMEND election results have placed Azhar Abbas as President and Tariq Mahmood as General Secretary of the Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors, the body that brings together senior editors and news directors across Pakistan’s electronic media.
Alongside the two top posts, the same vote filled other office-bearer roles. Muhammad Usman and Mian Tahir were elected Vice Presidents. Rehan Ahmed and Nadeem Jamal became Joint Secretaries, and Shahab Mahmood was chosen as Finance Secretary.
How the new team was completed
AEMEND’s General Council met in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad to complete the Executive Committee. The newly elected members named in the AEMEND election results are Zahid Mazhar, Masoom Rizvi, Mohsin Raza, Mubarak Ali, Kamran Lashari, Humayun Saleem, Muhammad Naushad Kahwaja Hasnain and Razaq Sarohi.
Together, the office-bearers and these committee members form the association’s AEMEND new leadership for the coming term. The association itself is a professional forum for electronic-media editors and news directors rather than a government regulator.
Press freedom and PECA concerns
The General Council said it was deeply worried about what it called a deteriorating climate for press freedom in Pakistan. It pointed to the growing use of government powers and state institutions in ways that, in its view, squeeze independent journalism.
Council members also raised alarm over the alleged misuse of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), the cybercrime law that governs online offences, and over actions by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), the federal body that investigates cybercrime cases. AEMEND linked these worries to the wider space in which newsrooms and digital publishers work.
The Council further noted what it described as irresponsible behaviour by some YouTubers who present themselves as journalists while appearing to chase personal or political agendas. At the same time, AEMEND stressed that the conduct of a few people should not be used as a reason to place broad limits on the media as a whole.
What the new committee plans next
The General Council resolved that the newly elected Executive Committee would hold a detailed discussion of the overall media situation in the country. After that deliberation, the association intends to issue a comprehensive statement setting out its position.
For viewers and readers, the immediate news is organisational: who will speak for a major editors’ body. The follow-up statement, if issued as planned, is where AEMEND’s fuller policy line on press freedom, PECA and digital platforms is expected to appear.
Aasan alfaaz mein
AEMEND ne Azhar Abbas ko President aur Tariq Mahmood ko General Secretary chun liya hai. Ye association TV aur electronic media ke editors ki hai. Unhon ne press freedom aur PECA jaisi qanooni pareshaniyon par bhi andesha zahir kiya. Aage committee mulk ke media halat par bayan degi, jo aam logon ko milne wali khabar ki azadi se juda ho sakta hai.
