ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered all media outlets to clear salaries of their employees by April 30.

The order was issued by a three-member bench in a suo motu case related to non-payment of salaries by some newspaper organisations and TV channels and a subsequent development about politicising of government advertisements.

The bench was headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and its other members were Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.

The proposed ‘guidelines for content regulation of government advertisement in print and electronic media’, contained in the order, have six points: the guiding principles for dissemination of information, definitions of classified advertisement and government advertisement, scope and object of the guidelines for government advertisements, purpose of government advertising, content regulation and the government advertisement during election period.

The guidelines have been prepared in consultation with senior counsel and all major stakeholders of the electronic and print media, including All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE).

The court also heard Information Secretary Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera, and Additional Advocate General, Punjab, Asma Hamid who accepted the proposed guidelines.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2018