Government will monitor newspapers
Islamabad: The government has decided to monitor 21 national Urdu and English language newspapers to ensure implementation of the newly promulgated Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration (Amendment) Ordinance, 2007. Special officers have been appointed for this purpose, it was learnt.
Special officers have been asked to scan news, editorials and readers’ letters containing material against President General Pervez Musharraf and the armed forces,” an information ministry official told Daily Times, asking not to be named. He said provincial information departments were also directed to monitor the newspapers. Thirteen Urdu and eight English newspapers had been listed by the Press Information department (PID) to monitor.
DCO: District coordination officers or deputy commissioner can suspend the declaration of newspapers for 30 days in case of violation of the ordinance.
English language newspapers to be watched include Daily Times, The News, The Nation, Dawn, Pakistan Observer, The Post, Patriot and Tribune. Urdu language newspapers on the list include Jang, Nawa-e-Waqt, Express, Ausaf, Pakistan, Jinnah, Khabrain, Al-Akhbar, Asas, Musalman, Azkar, islam and kainat.
Information officer (IO) Muhammad Irfan is to monitor Daily Times, IO Ali Umar The News, IO Aamir Raza Dawn, IO Inamullah The Nation, IO Feroz Khan Pakistan Observer, IO Fasiullah The Post, IO Syed Zaki Haider Rizvi Patriot and IO Naveedur Rehman Tribune.
PID deputy directors Saeed Javed, Muhammad Asim Khichi, Akhtar Munir, Qamar Abbass, Mobashar Hassan and Ali Nawaz will monitor Jang, Nawa-e-Waqt, Ausaf and Jinnah.
IOs Din Kalam, Amin Jan Marwat, Shagufta Ansari, Safdar Gondal, Shahab Hamid, Ehsanul Hassan and Muhammad Arshad will monitor Express, Al-Akhbar, Asas, Musalman, Azkar, Islam and Kainat.
Daily report: these officials are to submit a daily report to Home Publicity Director Raja Abdul Qayyum by 4 pm. The official order says that the newspapers will be “monitored in accordance with relevant provisions of Ordinance No. LXIV of 2007 on daily basis an till further orders”.
The sources said special instructions to this effect had been passed to district coordination officers in the country to handle media at the district level. According to the ordinance, newspapers are prohibited from publishing “any material, printed or graphic, that defames, brings into ridicule or disrepute the head of state or members of the armed forces or executive, judicial or legislative organs of the state”. It also prohibits newspapers from publishing photographs of suicide bombers, terrorists (if not required by law enforcement agencies for investigation), bodies of victims of terrorism, statements of militants and aiding or abetting terrorist activities.
Newspapers are also prohibited from promoting sectarianism or racialism. Material against the ideology, sovereignty or security of Pakistan is prohibited. Material against “commonly accepted standards of morality and decency” and promotion of vulgarity, obscenity and pornography is also restricted.
Source: Daily Times
Date:11/6/2007
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