Not all political parties can get same coverage
MULTAN: It is not possible to fulfill the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) demand for equal coverage of all political parties for the next general elections, Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) chairman Justice (retd) Raja Shafqat Khan Abbasi said on Tuesday.
Abbasi was speaking to media representatives at the Multan Press Club. Earlier, he had addressed a seminar at the Bahauddin Zakriyah University (BZU) Communication Studies department. Abbasi said the ECP should consult media organisations and journalists before finalising a code of conduct for media for the next general elections.
He said the ECP had issued an eight-point code of conduct without any consultation. “We demand that the media be consulted if the ECP wishes to ensure fair coverage,” he said. He said he would be meeting journalists in various cities and forward their suggestions to the ECP secretary.
“The media must be more responsible as it gains more independence… a journalist’s duty is to his professional code of conduct,” Abbasi said. He said the PCP’s office was available for complaints against any journalist in the country.
“The media should support democracy in the country,” he said.
Abbasi said recruitment of journalists for political preferences must be stopped. “Media organisations must hire professional editors and directors to maintain standards of reporting,” he said. He said that it was important that the media remain independent of all kinds of pressure.
“There are now laws and a code of conduct … but the focus on implementation is lacking,” the PCP chairman said. The seminar was also addressed by BZU Vice Chancellor Khawaja Alqama and BZU Communication Studies Department Chairman Dr Ashraf Khan.
A memorandum was signed between the BZU and the PCP. Bahauddin Zakriyah University has agreed to help review the code of conduct for press coverage for the general elections.
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