Marriyum backs proposed changes to Pemra law

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Saturday the Pemra Amendment Bill 2023 is the bill not of the government but a bill of Pakistan, the people of Pakistan, media and journalists, in which the rights of journalists are protected.

While addressing a press conference, she said it includes the representation of journalist organisations, and they are empowered to make decisions.

She said that restrictions were imposed on the media due to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (Pemra) order in the PTI’s era. They tried to bring the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority black law, which was opposed by all the political parties and media organisations.

She said that there were 140 channels licensed by Pemra in Pakistan, among them 35 were news and current affairs channels, 52 entertainment channels, 25 regional channels, 6 non-commercial and education channels, 5 sports channels, 7 health and agro channels, and 10 education commercial channels.

The minister said the Pemra Ordinance was promulgated in 2002 and now in 2023, the media landscape had changed and it become diverse.

“We are all going through a new era of social media where new platforms have been introduced to express opinions, all these channels are present on cyberspace and social media,” she added.

Marriyum said that during the last four years of PTI, there was censorship on the media and the former prime minister Imran Khan got the title of “media predator”. The title was not given to him by his political rivals or any organisation of Pakistan but by international journalistic organisations, keeping in view the freedom of expression in Pakistan.

At that time, the programmes running at that time were stopped, journalists and news channels were banned, she added.

She said that in the past, journalists were fired at, they were kidnapped and tortured, their programmes were stopped and they were sent to jails.

The minister said during PTI’s tenure, the then information minister used to slap journalists, he used to threaten journalists and media organisations to support the draconian PMDA law.

Marriyum said that last year, when she was appointed Minister for Information, she held the first meeting with the Joint Action Committee on 23rd April 2022.

Representatives of PBA, APNS, CPNE, AMEND and PFUJ were included in the joint action committee.

The minister said that the laws on the rights of journalists, ethical media, media responsibilities and fake news within the regulatory bodies in many countries of the world were reviewed.

She said she was thankful to all these organisations that assisted her in preparing the Pemra (Amendment) Bill 2023. She said they guided her how to take steps to protect the rights of media workers and establish a responsible media.

Marriyum said that the Joint Action Committee held several meetings over the course of 11 months for consultations with all the stakeholders on the bill. The minister said that the existing laws regarding the rights of journalists, ethical media, responsibilities of the media and fake news within the regulatory bodies in many countries of the world were reviewed, and Pemra (Amendment) Bill 2023 contained international best practices.

She said that for the first time the definition of disinformation and misinformation had been included in the Pemra law with the support of all media organisations. “We clarified the difference between misinformation and disinformation in the bill,” she said.

Marriyum said that Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees existed for print media, but there was no forum to protect the rights of electronic media employees who were dismissed from jobs on political grounds. She said that all stakeholders joined hands to protect the rights of journalists and media workers.

The minister said that the Pemra amendment bill was made in light of the resolutions approved by the United Nations Human Rights Committee and in consultation with journalists and clauses were added to this bill considering the existing media laws in the countries like Great Britain, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, France, India, Brazil, Russia, European Union, and Australia.

She said that the bill was prepared according to the resolutions of the UN Human Rights Committee. “Today some people are worried how this bill was finalised in consultation with media,” she added.

“The media itself has determined its responsibility in this bill and those criticising the bill have not read it,” she said.

Regarding the amendments in Pemra (Amendment) Bill 2023, the minister said that a comparative review of this bill had been done. On this occasion, the minister also showed the media a comparative review of Pemra Ordinance 2002 and Pemra (Amendment) Bill 2023.

Marriyam said that the Pemra Amendment Bill represented a significant step towards empowering the media and safeguarding the rights of journalists in Pakistan. The bill included several key provisions that aimed to enhance the role and independence of the media while providing necessary protections to journalists.

The minister emphasized that the Pemra Amendment Bill was a collaborative process involving not only the government but also media workers’ representatives, media organisations and the public.

She emphasised the significance of a united endeavour to safeguard journalists’ rights in Pakistan.

The minister mentioned that the Pemra Amendment Bill was meticulously developed in consultation with both the United Nations’ Human Rights Committee and journalists themselves.

The primary goal of this bill, she added, was to ensure the protection of journalists’ rights across the entire country.

The Pemra Amendment Bill aim was to protect journalists’ rights through consultation with both the United Nations’ Human Rights Committee and journalists themselves. “One positive change in the Pemra bill grants the media opportunity to have a say in the authority’s decisions. Moreover, the media now has representation in the council of complaints, which helps prevent any potential misuse of power,” she maintained.

Under the new changes, she said the powers of the Pemra chairman were transferred to a committee, and working journalists were now represented in the provincial council of complaint.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) said in a statement on Saturday that most of the amendments to the Pemra bill were done in consultation with all stakeholders. These amendments were necessary to protect workers’ rights and to ensure that employees get paid their legitimate dues on time and as per the laws of the country.

Some amendments were also essential for survival of the electronic industry and to deal with the element of fake news. The PBA appreciated the efforts of the information minister in taking all stakeholders on board.