TELEVISION in the private sector has achieved much in a decade. It has forged a measure of national unity and reintroduced Urdu as a lingua franca in Pakistan.

As an expatriate in the US, when I see reporters holding a mike and speaking from Loralai in KP or Kark in Balochistan or Dadu in Sindh in their accents, I feel proud of the enterprise.

In addition, it has created hundreds of jobs for anchors, actors, writers, technicians and gofers. Particularly, it has opened doors to women for new opportunities. I wish the first government had allowed electronic media in the private sector. Rather they monopolised the information through Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television. They also controlled print journalism through newsprint quotas and issuance of government advertisements.

The Pakistani electronic media, however, is in a nascent stage from the point of view of western standards.

Programming is sometimes full of technical lapses or errors. There should be rules to regulate the quantity of content and commercials in a given programme and they should be enforced.

AKMAL SHAH United States

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.