Press Council former Chairman Bal Krishna Basnet has criticized the government's decision to withhold advertisements on media, arguing that the move is a direct attack on press freedom and democratic norms. 

Issuing a statement on Thursday, he described the decision as  a financial blockade that could severely hamper the country’s media sector. 

He said that the Prime Minister may have been misbriefed or influenced  by a vested interest group, saying that the Prime Minister's Office should not have issued such a directive. 

This decision will erode  the rights to publication and information guaranteed by democracy and the Constitution.

“The information and advertisements that the federal, provincial, and local levels can provide to newspapers, radio, TV, and online portals should be made transparent and systematic,” he stated, stressing that  stronger steps should be taken to stop corruption within the advertising sector. 

If this decision is implemented, nearly 800 newspapers and hundreds of community radio stations across the country could be forced to shut down, he warned. 

He urged the government to immediately roll back the decision to safeguard the media's role in the country.