• July 16, 2014
• Access to Information, Front Page

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting and National Heritage on Tuesday approved the Right to Information Bill 2013 with proposed amendments. Senator Farhatullah Babar told the committee that the Upper House has already passed Right to Information Bill 2013 but the government has proposed amendments. After finalisation of discussion of amendments the […]

• July 16, 2014
• Front Page, Media Ethics

ISLAMABAD: The Islam­abad High Court ordered the suspension of Pervez Ra­tho­re, acting chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), and Kamaluddin Tipu, a member of the watchdog, on Tuesday . The court issued the orders during the hearing of petitions seeking reinstatement of Chaudhry Abdul Rashid as Pemra chairman, suspension of private members, […]

• July 15, 2014
• Front Page, Media Ethics

ISLAMABAD: A court in Afghanistan has sentenced a Pakistani TV journalist to four years in prison on charges of travelling to the neighbouring country without documents, Pakistani diplomatic sources said on Sunday. Faizullah Khan, a reporter for Karachi-based ARY News, was detained by Afghan authorities in eastern Nangarhar province in April this year. Some reports […]

• July 15, 2014
• Front Page, General News

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists headed by Rana Azeem has refuted a news item published in a section of the press about a move to unify various factions of the PFUJ and termed it ‘baseless and concocted’. In a statement, Rana Azeem and Secretary General Amin Yusuf said the factions could unify on the […]

• July 11, 2014
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued the verdict with regard to registering of the First Information Report (FIR) against private TV channel ARY for blasphemy against Ahle Bait. The court directed the SHO Margalla Police Station to lodge an FIR against the private channel.It merits mentioning here that District Bar Islamabad President, Advocate […]

• July 11, 2014
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court remarked on Thursday that cable operators had no authority whatsoever to block any channel. Geo News was shut down in extraordinary circumstances, but the Supreme Court has ordered its restoration and the cable operators will have to follow the order of the top court. Justice Ijazul Ahsan made these remarks […]

• July 10, 2014
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday observed that cable operators had no right to close the transmission of any channel on their own. Hearing identical petitions filed by the Independent Media Corporation (IMC) against non-restoration of Geo News transmission after the lapse of the suspension order of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), […]

• July 9, 2014
• Broadcasting, Freedom of Expression, Front Page

ISLAMABAD: Following its failure to convince cable operators to stop arbitrarily moving private TV channels’ positions, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Tuesday issued warnings to cable operators, ordering them to follow the regulator’s directives. A press note issued by the electronic media regulator says, “Pemra has strictly warned cable network operators to […]

• July 8, 2014
• Front Page, Media Ethics

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Monday asked the government to implement a code of conduct for the media before the July 15 and submit a compliance report at the next meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting. Senator Kamil Ali Agha chaired Monday’s meeting while Additional Secretary Information Chaudhry Azam told the […]

• July 8, 2014
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Monday said that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) had issued notices to cable operators to ensure smooth and unchanged transmission of TV channels within 15 days in line with the Supreme Court’s order. If the cable operators did not follow the rules, […]

• July 7, 2014
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

SIALKOT: Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif has said whatever the decision the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) had given according to its mandate, it was the responsibility of Pemra to get this decision implemented and restore the transmission even if the cable operators were not accepting it. While talking to the Geo News, he […]

• July 4, 2014
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in strongly condemning the bomb attack on the home of a journalist in Peshawar, Pakistan on July 2, 2014 – the third attack on the journalist’s home this year. This week’s incident saw unidentified attackers placed a bomb in […]

• July 3, 2014
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

The house of Jamshed Bhagwan, Bureau Chief of Express News television channel was attacked with an explosive for third on July 2 in Peshawar, the capital of province Khyber-Pakhtukhuwa. A remote-controlled explosive material was placed by the unidentified men, outside the residence of Bhagwan, and it exploded while the journalist was at home. The Express […]

• July 3, 2014
• Freedom of Expression, Front Page

KARACHI: Justice Munib Akhter of division bench of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday ordered issuance of notices to Pemra and eight cable operators for illegally suspending/ shuffling the telecast of Geo News. The notices were issued on eight petitions filed by the Independent Media Corporation. Jam Asif and Behzad Haider, advocates, on behalf of […]