ISLAMABAD: Members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information, mostly from the PML-N, expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the Press Information Department (PID) and suggested that the PID counter negative propaganda against the country at the international level.

After a presentation by ministry officials, committee chairman MNA Mohammad Aslam Bodla from the PML-N said he was not impressed by the presentation and added that the committee would visit the PID.

MNA Arifa Khalid Parvez, also from the PML-N, said there was no personality that would fight Pakistan’s case at the international level and in the international media.

No one lobbies for Pakistan, due to which although we consider ourselves a giant we are not given more importance than a fly, she claimed. “I face embarrassment whenever I go abroad because I find no one ready to hear our case.”

She added: “There should be someone to table our case at the international level, because that is the only way people will be willing to hear us and tolerate us.”

Independent MNA Malik Mohammad Amir Dogar said the department’s funds are spent to promote the government.

“Funds should be used to tackle propaganda against the country,” he said, adding: “PID has been giving advertisements to a number of dummy newspapers which have hardly any circulation.”

PML-N MNA Zeb Jaffar said the PID should work to promote the country’s image, and documentaries should be made that showcase Pakistani culture and traditions.

“We have highlighted Malala Yousafzai, which is a good job, but now some more individuals, especially children who have been inventing things and performing well, should be highlighted and promoted,” she said.

Earlier, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera claimed that PID was performing well. He also said that a decision has been made to upload all Pakistan Television (PTV) and Radio Pakistan programmes to social media.

He said that when he held the charge of PTV for three months, he learnt that even people from India-held Kashmir were giving input on PTV through social media, adding that PTV has 700,000 Twitter followers.

He claimed that efforts were being made to involve all the federating units in the image-building of Pakistan, and a number of documentaries are prepared on culture, art, tourism and so on, due to which a record number of tourists visited the northern areas this year.

Press Information Officer Mohammed Saleem said the PID was allocated Rs619 million in the 2017-18 budget. He also said the department was working to promote Pakistan’s image and effectively respond to propaganda against the country.

Mr Saleem said the live-streaming of programmes on the Internet has also been started.

During the standing committee meeting, PML-N MNA Mohammad Khan Daha complained that the airing of cartoons dubbed in Hindi on television was changing the language of the new generation.

In response, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Chairman Absar Alam said the authority had stopped television channels from airing Indian content in April last year, but the ban was suspended by the Lahore High Court after which channels once again began airing Indian programmes.

He claimed that cartoons dubbed in Hindi were “really an issue”, and added: “We took up the matter with foreign channels and told them that they would have to telecast cartoons dubbed in Urdu if they wanted to have landing rights and licences. However, a number of licences are pending with the Ministry of Interior because their security clearance has yet to be completed by intelligence agencies.”

“Indian content is being played because intelligence agencies are not giving security clearance,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2017