PML-N rejects proposed media authority

Published November 1, 2018
Marriyum Aurangzeb accuses PTI of trying to gag the media. — Photo/File
Marriyum Aurangzeb accuses PTI of trying to gag the media. — Photo/File

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has rejected the proposal to set up a centralised regulatory authority for print, electronic and social media.

Speaking to journalists outside the accountability court, PML-N’s spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said the government of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), in an attempt to gag the media, had proposed the formation of a “Pakistan media regulatory authority” without even consulting the stakeholders and without debating the issue in parliament.

“The opposition rejects such an authority. We demand [from the government] to explain its objectives and designs. If this [authority] is aimed at censorship and silencing the media, we will raise our voice by all possible means,” she said.

The government recently said it planned to set up a new media controlling authority, to be known as Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority, by merging the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) and Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA).

The PML-N leader criticised Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry for what she termed irresponsible statements related to arrest of PML-N leaders.

Referring to a statement of the information minister in which he defended the transfer of Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police on verbal orders of the prime minister, she said civil servants worked for the country and did not deserve such remarks.

She said the PTI government was in the habit of gagging the media and treating bureaucrats like its servants.

“The information minister has already warned that defiance of the prime minister and ministers’ orders will not be tolerated and it may cost defiant bureaucrats their jobs,” Marriyum Aurangzeb pointed out.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2018

Opinion

Editorial

Close the gap
Updated 16 Jun, 2025

Close the gap

Our imbalanced scorecard in the main shows that power development and prosperity reflect the shallowness of political claims.
Fiscal malfeasance
16 Jun, 2025

Fiscal malfeasance

IT is galling that, even in these times of economic distress, when hardship has pushed millions of ordinary...
Rochdale conviction
16 Jun, 2025

Rochdale conviction

THE recent conviction of seven men in the Rochdale grooming gang case is a hard-won moment of justice. The men, ...
Deepening conflict
Updated 15 Jun, 2025

Deepening conflict

Some media reports say that the US had shipped hundreds of missiles to Israel before the attack on Iran.
Some strides
15 Jun, 2025

Some strides

THE PTI government in KP is not known for sound public service delivery in a province whose economy has been ...
Air India tragedy
15 Jun, 2025

Air India tragedy

THE black box of the ill-fated Air India flight AI171 has been recovered, and that should reveal in the coming days...