Cabinet to review media gagging laws today
ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet is set to review today (Wednesday) all the media gagging laws that were enacted on November 3, last year with the imposition of emergency in the country.
According to sources, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has prepared a summary for repealing all the laws that relate to Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and also on press and sent to the Law Ministry for vetting.
The Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman, who piloted the summary for repealing the black laws relating to curb the media enacted on November 3, will brief the cabinet on the Pemra laws.
When approached for comments, Sherry confirmed that the summary for repealing the Pemra laws had already been forwarded. “Yes, we had prepared the summary for repealing all media gagging laws and I shall brief the cabinet about the Pemra laws,” she confirmed while talking to The News on Tuesday.
She said the government believes in the freedom of expression and liberty of media and it was main agenda of the PPP to repeal all those laws relating to press that hinder in the freedom of media.
In the very first meeting of the cabinet last week, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani while chairing the cabinet meeting had directed the information minister to speed up the process of repealing all the black laws relating to media enacted after the imposition of the emergency in the country.
Meanwhile, the other items on the agenda of the cabinet meeting include discussion on the financial situation and approval of the financial measures for tuning the economic position of the country.
Sources said the Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar would give a detailed briefing to the cabinet on the financial situation of the country. Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior, Dr Rehman Malik will brief the cabinet about the law and order situation in the country.
Besides, sources said, the ministers will also give the outlines of future line of action of their respective ministries to implement 100-days programme of Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani.
Source: The News
Date:4/9/2008
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