June 05, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 19, 1428

ISLAMABAD, June 4: The Pakistan People’s Party has condemned new amendments to the Pemra ordinance and termed it yet another assault on the freedom of the media. It also called upon the civil society, professional media bodies and human rights organisations to reject the new curbs.

The government on Monday amended the Pemra ordinance giving itself sweeping powers to cancel licence, seize broadcast equipment and seal premises of private TV channels and broadcast houses.

PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar in a statement said the ordinance was the second deadly blow dealt on the media in two days and reflected the regime’s nervousness with the way it was exposed by the media before the world.

He said by inserting a new draconian clause 39-A in the ordinance, the regime could slam new curbs on the broadcasters just by issuing new regulations in an official gazette without reference to parliament and the stakeholders.

“This is unprecedented that a government body is given the powers to make new regulations stifling the media just by issuing an official notification”.

The amending ordinance is an intolerable and unacceptable assault on the independence of media, he said.