KARACHI, Oct 13: Information Minister Nisar A. Memon said on Sunday that the Associated Press of Pakistan, Pakistan Television and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation will not be privatized.
“They all have their competitors in the private sector and there is no plan for their privatization,” he told editors and newsmen at a luncheon hosted by him for them at a hotel.
He said that for the first time APP, PTV and PBC had been given a free hand to carry out political coverage. He said the present setup would would leave an enabling environment for the new government.
He said APP had been given a corporate management and a law had been made for its corporatization. Nisar Memon said PTV and PBC had separate boards of directors and management and there would also be a board of directors for APP.
The minister, replying to a question, said he would welcome a proposal for the welfare of working journalists if it was submitted to him.
When an editor criticized the wage board and claimed it had hit professionalism, representatives of working journalists opposed him and said every wage board had produced better journalists.
When the minister was informed that while reviewing laws regarding defamation, press council and registration, the journalists’ bodies were not consulted, he invited the newsmen to meet him with their proposals.
He said that even after the present government was relieved of its responsibilities, he would be ready to work with them on the issues.
He said information complexes would be set up in areas where facilities of press clubs and Press Information Department were not available.
He said Skardu would have the first information complex where the information ministry would provide the facilities of APP, PTV and PBC in coordination with the tourism ministry. He said the design of the complex was approved on Saturday. It would also provide space for a press club and a briefing hall, he said.
He said the second information complex would be set up at Rawalakot, where the AJK government would provide land and the Kashmir Council would carry out the construction.
He said talks had also been held with the NWFP government, which had decided to have this complex in Swat.
Nisar Memon said work on similar complexes in other provinces would be taken in hand after talks with their governors.
ACADEMIES: The minister said the training academies of information department, PTV and PBC would be merged to set up a mass communication institute.
He said that under a proposal which he had signed on Saturday, the proposed institute would be a degree awarding centre.
He said the Information Academy had been opened up to provide training to people from abroad and South Asian countries had been asked to send their nominations.
He said the proposed institute would also look after media development.
He said a media workshop was being held in Lahore on Monday.
The government, he said, had done a lot for freedom of press but still there was room to do more.
He said the newsmen’s support had helped him in taking forward the policy of President Pervez Musharraf.
He said the government had not used the black laws relating to registration and press council.
Nisar Memon said issues relating to registration and press council were resolved through dialogue with the All Pakistan Newspapers Society and Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors held some 100 days back.
He said laws relating to defamation, registration and press council had been reviewed and the process for changes in them had begun.
He said a meeting about the freedom of information law would be held on Oct 21 or 22.
He said Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority had established itself at a fast speed with transparency and its councils of complaints had been formed in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar.
He said applicants for private radio channels would begin receiving licences next week.
He said the website of the information ministry had been expanded and a cyber wing had been established to replace the research and reference wing.—APP