New regulatory authority to replace Pemra: Fawad

ISLAMABAD: Minister of Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Thursday said that government will establish a new media regulatory authority by abolishing the existing Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), ARY News reported.

While addressing the Senate’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting in Islamabad on Thursday, Fawad said the Ministry of Information has prepared a draft law in this regard which has been sent to all stakeholders to solicit their recommendations.

The minister said the government will regulate all media and no one will be able to defame anyone under the new law.

Whereas the Chairman of the Standing Committee, Faisal Javed said the government will not allow gagging of free media. He said media is always free in a democratic set up.

The chairman said no action was taken by Pemra when a fake news was broadcast on a TV channel regarding Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi.

Secretary Information told the meeting that in future television ads will be allowed to run on TV after the approval of Information Ministry.

He said an overseeing committee headed by Minister for Information has been set up for supervising the content of advertisements.

Pemra was established under Pemra Ordinance 2002 to facilitate and regulate the private electronic media.

It has the mandate to improve the standards of information, education and entertainment and to enlarge the choice available to the people of Pakistan Including news, current affairs, religious knowledge, art and culture as well as science and technology.