Ordinance issued for making Associated Press of Pakistan a corporation
ISLAMABAD- The President on October 19, 2002 promulgated an Ordinance to provide for making the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) a Corporation, “to ensure its effective operation and to streamline, improve, and enlarge APP as a public information medium”.
The Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation will have a Ten-Member Board, with Federal Secretary Information and Media Development as its Chairman.
The objective behind it is to take steps for adding greater professionalism to the Associated Press of Pakistan and make its management more broad based, allowing it to work with professionalism, independence and autonomy.
The measure will enable it to obtain services from international news agencies and create greater trust of its secrecy and credibility amongst people, “and for matters connected thereto or incidental thereof.”
The Ordinance may be called the Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation Ordinance 2002, and comes into effect at once.
The Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation shall be a body corporate having perpetual succession and a common seal with powers to acquire, hold and dispose of property both movable and immovable, etc.
The Ordinance has been issued in pursuance of the Proclamation of Emergency of the fourteenth day of October, 1999, to Provisional Constitution order No. 1 of 1999, read with the Provisional Constitution (Amendment) Order No. 9 of 1999, and in exercise of all powers enabling the President in that behalf.
Headquartered at Islamabad, the Corporation may establish its bureaus or constitute its stations at such places- both within and abroad as the Board may- with the approval of the Federal Government, decide.
Functions of the Corporation: The functions of the Corporation on shall be to –
(a) Undertake the work of a news agency or news agencies in any part of the world and in particular to collect, transmit circulate in Pakistan and abroad such news, features, photographs, videos or any such material, for distribution to such persons or corporation, newspapers or organisations desirous of obtaining such news and material or any part thereof on such terms and condition as the Board may, from time to time determine;
(b) Carry on all or any of the activities which help in news gathering and its dissemination through print, cyber-net, audio, video, still and any other methods of photography required for this purpose;
(c) Enter into any arrangements and to take all necessary or proper steps with governments or with other authorities, persons, bodies, organisations, international, national, local, municipal or otherwise of any place in which the Corporation may have interests and to carry on any negotiations or operations for the purpose of directly or indirectly carrying out its objects affecting any modification in its functioning;
(d) Advance, deposit or lend, money, acquire securities and property or receive loans, grants-in-aid, subsidy, subscription fee, assistance or deposits from the Government and other authorities or bodies or organisations;
(e) Invest any moneys of the Corporation not for the time being required for any of the purposes of the Corporation in such investments (other than shares or stock) as may he in the interest of the Corporation;
(f) Establish, provide, maintain and conduct research and training activities for the training, education, and instruction of employees, students and others who may desire to avail themselves of the same;
(g) Compile, prepare, produce, print, publish, issue, circulate and distribute, with or without charge, such papers, magazines, periodicals, books, circulars and other such matter as may be conducive to any of the functions of the Corporation;
(h) Carry out instructions of the Federal Government with regard to general pattern of policies in respect of announcements, news and views to he disseminated from time to time;
(i) Sign agreements with international news agencies, national news agencies of other countries for securing and disseminating the same to end-users in and outside Pakistan; and
(j) Sell news, features, photos, audios and videos to mass media news agencies and any other organisation within and outside Pakistan. The Board will consist of Eleven members, including the Chairman ie Secretary Information and Media Development, while the members will be: Managing Director, APP Corporation, M.D. PTV Corporation, DG PBC, PID, President CPNE, Financial Adviser MI&MD, the Chairmen of Mass Communication departments of the Karachi and the Punjab Universities and two renowned media persons from private sector to be nominated by the Federal Government.
The Ordinance repeals the Associated Press of Pakistan (Taking over) Ordinance, 1961 (XX of 1961).
Any rules or regulation made under the repealed Ordinance shall in so far as they are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance or the rules of regulations made thereunder having recourse to the various matters which by this Ordinance have to be regulated or prescribed by rules or regulations shall continue to be in force “until they are repealed, replaced, rescinded or modified in accordance with the provisions of this Ordinance.
Likewise, all contracts and working arrangements made and incurred by the APP before the establishment of the Corporation shall be deemed to have been made or incurred by the Corporation and have effect, accordingly.
The Chairman, Members, the Managing Director and other officers and servants of the Corporation, shall, when acting or purporting to act in pursuance of any of the provisions of the Ordinance or the rules or regulations made thereunder, “be deemed to he public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the Pakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of 1860).”
It provides that the pay and allowances to which an officer and servant of the Corporation is entitled “shall not be less favourable than those to which he was entitled immediately before” (conversion into Corporation).
The Ordinance provides for an APPC Fund which shall vest in the Corporation and shall be utilised by it to meet charges in connection with its functions under this Ordinance including payment of salaries and other remuneration to the Managing Director, non-official Members, officers and employees of the Corporation. It will consist of grants by the Federal Government; loans obtained from the banks and other financial institutions as may be approved by the Federal Government; and, subscription fee from the subscribers of the Associated Press of Pakistan, etc.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:10/20/2002
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