Newspaper, magazine owners allowed to establish TV, radio stations; law amended to give women right of bail in non-bailable offences
ISLAMABAD- In a landmark decision, the cabinet allowed cross media ownership enabling owners of newspapers and magazines to own and operate television and radio stations. The cabinet, which met with Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali in the chair, took the decision by amending the PEMRA Ordinance.
Under this amendment, the owners of newspapers and magazines would also own and operate their television and radio stations within the parameters governing such ownership and operation.
The minister for Information and Broadcasting, Shaikh Rashid Ahmed said the amendment to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Ordinance was approved and with this decision his commitment to the newspapers’ owners has been fulfilled and now he would take up the matter for implementation of the 7th Wage Board Award for the newspaper employees.
He said 10 new satellite TV channels would be immediately allowed under the PEMRA Ordinance. He said PTV would also be setting up three new satellite channels, one of them for AJK, another under the banner of “Home – PTV” and the third one as “PTV-Sports”. PTV is working to finalise these projects, he added.
Flanked by Information Technology and Telecommunication Minister Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari and Secretary Information Syed Anwar Mehmood, he said the prime minister emphasised need for diversity of media ownership without restricting owner of any medium from owning or operating another medium. Rashid said the prime minister said the government would continue to liberalise the state-owned electronic media and encourage dissemination of all shades of views in a healthy and responsible manner.
The prime minister is learnt to have expressed the hope that prospective private sector radio and TV operators would not lose sight of this important element in their broadcast.
He said the cabinet also approved Telecom Deregulation Policy to encourage participation of national and international investment in this sector. Awais Ahmed Leghari will announce its details in a day.
Source: The News
Date:7/13/2003
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