CPNE hails lifting of ban on Cross Media Ownership
KARACHI- The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) welcomes the lifting of ban on Cross Media Ownership in electronic media and terms it a victory of the forces for free media in Pakistan. It was stated in a Press release issued here on July 19th, 2003.
Mir Shakilur Rehman, President of CPNE, and Dr Jabbar Khattak, Secretary General of the Council, in a joint statement, have termed the decision of the federal cabinet as a landmark in the development of free and fair media in Pakistan.
They congratulated President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali for pursuing more openness in electronic media.
The CPNE office bearers said that under Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Ordinance, in the name of Media Diversity, the print media persons were not allowed to enter in the field of electronic media.
They said, “We are all for Media Diversity, but imposition of undemocratic and unjustified restrictions on newspaper owners to set up TV channel was opposed by the different sections of the society.”
They recalled that over the last decade, the developments in information technology have enabled the digitalisation and transmission of video, image, sound and text to such extent that television, telecommunications and computer services have become integrated, and converged resulting in blurring of the boundaries between all such services.
They said, “The development in Information Technology is leading to unprecedented increase in the number of media outlets where the regulatory distinctions have become meaningless and ownership restrictions are no longer required to ensure Media Diversity.”
The CPNE office bearers said, “We have always supported Media Diversity but we do believe that the rules on Cross Media Ownership under Pemra Ordinance are not only outdated but also negate fundamental rights of citizens and democratic norms enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan.
Mir Shakilur Rehman and Dr Jabbar Khattak hoped that the amendments in the Pemra Ordinance will be made with the same spirit with which the federal cabinet has allowed ownership of TV channel to newspapers.
There should be no doubt that the newspapers are better placed to set up such TV channels which can resist invasions of foreign media.
They were confident that with the new decisions of the federal cabinet, the electronic media in Pakistan will witness a rapid growth.
They further hoped that the amendments will be flexible, moderate and technologies friendly and will meet future requirement – so that, they will not hinder the progress of the electronic media in the country.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:7/20/2003
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