Summary for Pemra board reconstitution
Tahir Khalil
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Board will be reconstituted soon as after according to a summary for the purpose, the prime minister has sent it to the president, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said here on Wednesday.
The minister told a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting convened to discuss the failures, irregularities and regulatory role of Pemra that the authority has committed criminal negligence. She said that several problems emerged because of the absence of a proper monitoring mechanism.
The meeting convened on the Pemra issue spent most of the time in discussing the Geo Super issue but the Geo Super management did not get a chance to present its stance and answer the questions of the members because it was not issued notice by the standing committee. The committee, however, decided that another meeting would be convened in July and the Geo representatives would also be given a chance to present their point of view.
Only four members of the 17-member committee, including Belum Hasnain (PPP, chairperson), Chaudhry Saeed Iqbal (PPP, member), Mrs Samina Mushtaq Paganwala (PPP, member) and Waseem Akhter Sheikh (PML-N, member), attended the meeting while Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan was present in her capacity as the minister.
The minister told the committee that there are various reservations over the code of conduct of Pemra for the electronic media because of which it could not be implemented. Therefore, she said, a self-regulatory code of conduct would be prepared in consultation with the stakeholders including the Pakistan Broadcasters Association, APNS, Ministry for Information and Senate Standing Committee on Information and would be enforced after its approval by the parliament.
Chairperson Belum Hasnain told the meeting that a proposal to convene a joint meeting of the National Assembly and Senate Standing Committees on Information and Broadcasting in July or August is also under consideration.
Dr Firdous said that existence of a strong Pemra is necessary for responsible media and the standing committee is an impartial forum having an important role in preparation of a consensus code of conduct.
Mentioning the failures, acting Pemra Chairman Dr Abdul Jabbar said 124 cases of electronic media are in courts. He said when they take action against any channel, the courts issue stay order and they could not do anything. Briefing the committee on performance of Pemra, he repeated the same old stance on the issue of Geo Super that they did not suspend the transmission of the channel but Geo itself did so. He said they installed a monitoring system two months ago and discovered that law was being violated.
Waseem Akhter Sheikh of the PML-N pointed out that Geo Super is operating since 2007 and people do not accept the viewpoint of the government and Pemra. He said the public opinion on Geo Super issue is against the government.
Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that Geo Super should first air its programmes in accordance with its licence they would allow uplinking with 15 minutes. She said the standing committee had given unanimous decision but the Geo management is getting licence from the public. She said it is illegitimate use of the media weapon and the government is thus being taken hostage. She said Geo needs public licence and not from the government. She said if Geo could operate with the public licence, they should do so. She said after the Indian Premier League (IPL), they would open themselves. She said that national wealth and precious time is wasted by daily convening the committee meeting on this issue. The minister further said that business is being done in the name of the government and signatures are being taken from masses, disrespecting the decision of the standing committee. She said the Geo management should come forward and upload programmes, they would uplink it and the issue would stand resolved automatically. But, she said, they are misusing the media power. She said the issue should be settled jointly.
Begum Samina Mushtaq Paganwala said they are members of the committee and are not with the government or Geo but the government’s writ is being challenged.
The minister for information said the real issue is of commitment. She said the Geo, Aag issue was amicably settled so the Geo management should come forward for also settling the Geo Super issue as the ball is now in their court.
On this, Chaudhry Saeed Iqbal, chairman of the sub-committee on information, said that an application has been submitted by Geo in a meeting of the sub-committee a day ago and the subcommittee would meet on May 11 to consider it. He said Geo would be given a chance to present its viewpoint in detail.
The minister for information rejected the stance of the acting Pemra chairman that he is responsible for performance during his tenure and the Pemra chairman, who is responsible for the ills of the past, should be summoned in the committee meeting. The minister said the stance is incorrect rather it is a matter of an institution. She said that as head of the institution, the acting chairman would have to answer for the weaknesses and irregularities of the past as well. She said the Pemra chairman is on leave and a final decision would be taken after his leave ends. She said to regularise the affairs of the cable operators, a regulatory system would be enforced.
Belum Hasnain said that the viewpoint of Geo has emerged effectively and people do not trust the government’s stance.
The minister for information said there are also many other problems but they have been ensnared in only one issue. She said the same Geo issue should not persist all the time, as the rest of 66 channels are operating so the facts should come to fore.
The acting Pemra chairman admitted that the Pemra Board has not met since January and decisions are being taken without the approval of the board.
Source: The News
Date:5/5/2011
” 
” 
” 
” 
” 
