• February 25, 2020
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued notices to the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) and other respondents and sought their reply on plea questioning the legitimacy of new social media regulations Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules, 2020. Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Justice Athar Minallah issued notices to the federation, information technology and law ministries over the petition. Petitioner’s counsel Barrister Jahangir Jadoon maintained that the Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules 2020 meant to curb the freedom of expression and contravenes the constitution. The court, however, rejected the petitioner’s request to immediately suspend the applicability of the Citizens Protection (Against Online Harm) Rules, 2020. During hearing the petitioner’s lawyer argued that the government aimed to curtail the freedom of expression by “controlling the social media”. Justice Athar Minallah remarked that the Regulations are done all over the world. To this petitioner’s lawyer argued that in this case the government was trying to control social media through regulations. He requested the court to send notice to the government and ask on the status of the rules. He said that under the draft rules, the government is planning to appoint a national coordinator to implement the Social Media Rules 2020. The lawyer alleged that under the law, the coordinator has […]

• February 25, 2020
• Freedom of Expression

SHIKARPUR: An unnecessary delay is being resorted to in reaching killers of senior journalist Aziz Memon by not sending his DNA samples to a fully equipped lab in Islamabad or Lahore and by not collecting such samples of suspects. This was stated by Mr Memon’s brother, Hafeezur Rehman while speaking to a nine-member delegation of […]

• February 24, 2020
• Media Safety

PESHAWAR: The media rights organisation – Freedom Network – Sunday asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to take up draft bill on journalists’ protection and welfare in the next cabinet meeting to do urgent legislation to end impunity for crimes against journalists and media in the country. Freedom Network Executive Director Iqbal Khattak said the Pakistan […]

• February 24, 2020
• General News

Islamabad: The Ministry of Human Rights helpline 1099 had received over 40,000 complaints regarding human rights during January 2020, said Secretary MoHR, Ribia Javeria Agha on Sunday. Talking to this agency, she said the complaints relating to inheritance and child abuse were being addressed on priority. She said, “Together, we need to strengthen coordination and […]

• February 24, 2020
• Media and Society

LAHORE: ‘Digital Trumps Print’ was one of the interesting sessions of the Lahore Literary Festival that analysed the state of mainstream media in the age of digital media in Pakistan on the final day of the festival on Sunday. The panel for the session included renowned media professionals, including Arif Nizami, Munizae Jahangir, Zafar Siddiqi […]

• February 24, 2020
• Social Media

Just over a week ago, the government approved Citizens Protection (Against Online Harassment) Rules 2020, which created much controversy in the tech community and civil society. Many believe that imposing requirements, such as establishing physical offices in Pakistan or hosting in-country servers, on global social media companies is a move in the wrong direction. Provisions […]

• February 23, 2020
• General News

Murals of iconic women on the outer walls of Karachi Press Club have been defaced again. For a proud, clean and colourful Karachi, the citizenry needs to wake up too nidentified groups vandalised the murals of iconic Pakistani women on the outer wall of the Karachi Press Club (KPC) at night on February 8 by […]

• February 23, 2020
• Obituaries

At a condolence reference for veteran journalist Anil Datta, who was associated with The News when he died in June last year, his friends and fellow journalists remembered him as a cultured man who had extraordinary knowledge of Western classical music and a person whose ever-smiling face would not let his troubled and isolated personal […]

• February 23, 2020
• Media and Society

The Media Studies Department of Bahria University Karachi Campus will hold an international conference titled ‘Role of Media in Poverty Alleviation and Promoting Social Justice’ in collaboration with the Association of Media & Communication Academic Professionals on February 24-25, 2020, at the Bahria University’s Karachi Campus (BUKC). The conference aims to provide a platform to […]

• February 23, 2020
• Freedom of Expression

LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh will hear on Monday an application assailing the legitimacy of new social media regulations published by Ministry of Information, Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT). “The regulations prima facie appear to be illegal and ultra vires for contravening and exceeding the scope of Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganization Act, 1996 […]

• February 22, 2020
• Freedom of Expression

NAUSHERO FEROZE: The brother of slain journalist Aziz Memon on Friday expressed his dissatisfaction over the ongoing probe into the killing and demanded of the police authorities to replace the investigation team, ARY NEWS reported. Engineer Hafeez Memon wrote a letter to the deputy inspector general (DIG) Shaheed Benazirabad, saying that the Mehrabpur police has […]

• February 22, 2020
• General News

LAHORE: The Lahore Literary Festival (LLF), the biggest event of the city’s literary calendar and the eighth edition of the most awaited annual event of the country, kicked off at Alhamra Arts Council, The Mall, on Friday. Continuing its well-known tradition of hosting eminent writers, historians, artists and opinion-makers from Pakistan and abroad, the LLF […]

• February 22, 2020
• New Media

It is worth noting that these features were already available on the app. However, the big difference being is that the new Family Safety Mode puts control in the hands of parents and guardians rather than the users themselves. TikTok has grown its users base exponentially in the last year, making it one of the […]

• February 22, 2020
• Freedom of Expression

LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan has demanded inclusion of Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the investigation process of journalist Aziz Memon’s murder case. Addressing reporters outside the Punjab Assembly here Friday, he said that PPP Sindh’s local administration should also be included in the investigation process. It has been proven […]