Pemra member retracts statement: Private Channel given license according to rules | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Pemra member retracts statement: Private Channel given license according to rules

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said Tuesday that Pakistan’s showbiz industry had great contribution and the government would take all possible steps to protect it.

While speaking in the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting chaired by Senator Kamil Ali Agha, the minister said that unfortunately national film industry had been destroyed but the government would take all steps to save local television drama industry from destruction.

Member Pemra Ashfaq Jamani has retracted his statement about licence of Urdu One channel. Information Secretary Agha Nadeem said Pemra had issued licence to the said channel in accordance with rules. Notices were served on channel for violations of Pemra rules. The court has granted stay.

Information Minister Kaira said, “There is need of legislation to provide protection to our local television industry and for imposition of ban on dubbed TV dramas,” he said. “Conceptually we are with the industry but we have to take the National Assembly’s committee on board,” he said.

The minister said that he would personally request chairperson of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Belum Husnain to convene the meeting of the committee to give their approval to the recommendations of the Senate committee so that the bill can be tabled in the Parliament for necessary legislation. About the issue of permission of landing rights to a Dubai-based entertainment channel, he said that procedure was followed in this regard.

He said that notices were issued to the said channels for violation of the agreement but the management of the channel took the matter to court which issued restraint orders. He further said that due to open market policy it was difficult for Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to dictate to the management of private media channels.Kaira said that the government did not want to impose code of conduct on the media that was why it formed a committee headed by Fakharuddin G Ebrahim for finalisation of the code, but it could not be implemented. The minister said that the government was taking steps for welfare of media workers — both journalists and non-journalists. In this connection, he mentioned the registration of media persons with Employees Old Age Benefit Fund.

About the Wage Board Award he said that the government had already named its chairman and it would start working as soon as the media organisations send the names of its members. He said that the government has been trying its best to play its role in payment of outstanding dues of workers of certain media organisation. Moreover, he said that revolving fund for victim journalists was being created.

Meanwhile, the Senate committee on Information directed the ministry to present it report on implementation status of the recommendation given on Feb 18 regarding broadcast of foreign content on Pakistani channels.

Kamil Ali Agha said that dubbed plays were making Pakistani artists jobless.Secretary Information Agha Nadeem said that there were no two opinions that the local channels and dramas should be promoted and laws were there but implementation was an issue.

The meeting was attended by senators Saeeda Iqbal, Saeed Ghani, Daud Achakzai, Pervaiz Rashid, Syed Zafar Ali Shah and Rubina Khalid. Senior officials from the Ministry of Information, Pemra and state-run television were also present in the meeting.

Source: The News


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