Newspapers being regularly monitored, Cabinet told | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Newspapers being regularly monitored, Cabinet told

ISLAMABAD, May 03 2006: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has assured the Cabinet that newspapers/periodicals are being monitored properly and action would be taken, in case they violate the 2002 Ordinance. “Any newspaper/periodical violating the periodicity given in their declaration under the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Book Registration Ordinance 2002, would be proceeded against by the relevant authorities, including the Press Information Department (PID), sources quoted Information Ministry briefing the Cabinet recently. They said that the Cabinet was also informed that those newspapers which violated terms of their declarations would not get government advertisements.

In 2004, the Cabinet had directed the Information Ministry to constitute a committee comprising representatives from federal and provincial governments in each province and Islamabad to ascertain periodicity of newspapers and submit report on quarterly basis to the Cabinet Division.

Since then, Information Ministry has been monitoring the newspapers and periodicals to implement the Cabinet’s directives and furnish quarterly report. The Information Ministry in its last quarterly report said that PID and its regional offices had stated that the periodicity of newspapers and periodicals was being monitored and none of them had violated the government policy.

“The Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) has also been directed to be extra vigilant in issuing audit certificates to ensure that newspapers and periodicals violating periodicity should not get ABC certificates,” sources added. The Cabinet noted with satisfaction that media were independent and a number of new TV channels had started operation in the country, sources
Source: B. Recorder
Date:5/3/2006