ISLAMABAD: Principal Information Officer (PIO) Raeesa Adil visited the National Press Club (NPC) Islamabad on Thursday, where she was received by NPC President Abdul Razaq Sayal, Secretary Dr Furqan Rao, Finance Secretary Abid Abbasi and other office-bearers.
During the visit, she held a special session with women journalists and unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at building their professional capacity and addressing longstanding concerns.
Ms Adil said the Pakistan Information Service Academy would soon roll out training programmes for journalists, covering areas such as freelancing, digital media, climate reporting and modern journalism, in order to help media professionals keep pace with a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
She noted that strengthening the capacity of journalists — particularly women — had become increasingly important given the shifting nature of the media industry, and assured participants that their concerns would be taken up with the relevant authorities.
The PIO also underlined the need for dedicated facilities for women journalists at the NPC, including a separate ladies’ room, a rest area and a daycare centre for children, adding that these proposals would be forwarded to the appropriate forums.
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She further pledged to pursue proposals for accreditation cards for women and digital journalists, health cards for media professionals, and the setting up of a Women Journalists Help Desk at the Press Information Department to resolve outstanding issues.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms Adil said serving as the country’s Principal Information Officer was both an honour and a significant responsibility. She said the government and the media were partners in public service and needed to keep strengthening mutual trust to ensure timely and accurate flow of information.
NPC President Abdul Razaq Sayal thanked the PIO for the visit and briefed her on the club’s initiatives for its members. He said women journalists played a vital role in the media industry but continued to grapple with challenges such as job insecurity, low pay, layoffs, scarce training opportunities and inadequate workplace facilities. He added that the NPC had recently held a month-long training workshop to sharpen the professional skills of its members.
NPC Secretary Dr Furqan Rao said the club regularly organised training workshops for its male and female members alike, and urged the government to take concrete steps to resolve the problems faced by women journalists.
Finance Secretary Abid Abbasi also thanked the PIO for the visit, noting that a large number of women journalists from various media organisations were NPC members.
Former NPC Secretary Nayyar Ali, Joint Secretaries Sehrish Qureshi and Shakeela Jalil, senior journalist Fauzia Kulsoom Rana and other participants also offered their input and recommendations during the session.
The event concluded with a question-and-answer segment, during which women journalists raised issues including difficulties in securing accreditation cards, among other professional challenges. The National Press Club later presented a commemorative shield to Ms Adil to mark the occasion.
Muhammad Tariq Nadeem
