Never exerted pressure on media, says Shibli Faraz.

ISLAMABAD -- Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said that Pakistan has an independent and vibrant media, media reported.

In a message posted on micro-blogging site-Twitter, Shibli Faraz said that he stands by on his comments quoted by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 'We believe in the constitutional and democratic right to speech,' he said.

The information minister said that the government had never issued press advice to a channel or a newspaper. 'We have never exerted any pressure on media and takes criticism on the government in a positive manner,' he said.

On November 20, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said while talking to media that the state institutions have lost their credibility to continuous politicization.

To counteract the...