NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

PRESS RELEASE

Islamabad, the 2nd September, 2021: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting performed Dua e Maghfirat for the departed soul of Great Hurriyat /Kashmiri Separatist Leader Syed Ali Gillani in its meeting held today at 11:00 a.m. in Committee Room of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Headquarters, Mauve Area, G-8/1 Islamabad. The meeting held under the Chairmanship of Mian Javed Latif, MNA.

2. Inspector General of Police, (ICT), briefed the Committee regarding murder attacks on former Chairman PEMRA/Senior Journalist (Mr. Absar Alam) Journalist (Mr. Asad Toor), and further briefed the committee regarding registration of FIRs against journalists Mr. Hamid Mir and Ms. Asma Sherazi.

3. After detailed briefing by Inspector General of Police (ICT), the Minister of Information & Broadcasting directed the Secretary, Ministry of Interior to take up matters/issues of former Chairman PEMRA/Senior Journalist (Mr. Absar Alam) and Journalist Mr. Asad Toor, and submit a final report to the Committee earliest.  
 
4. Minister for Information & Broadcasting briefed the Committee about draft Proposal regarding Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA),merging Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Press Council of Pakistan, (PCP), Central Board of Films Censors (CBFC), Press Registrar Office, Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC), Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE) to regulate electronic, print, digital media and films under single regulatory Authority Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA).

5. He further briefed the Committee that Pakistan Electronic Media Ordinance 2002 as amended by PEMPRA Amendment Act 2007, the Motion Picture Ordinance 1979, the Press Council of Pakistan Ordinance, 2002, The Press, Newspaper, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance, 2002, Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service) Act 1973 to be repealed.

6. After having a detailed deliberation regarding “Proposed draft of Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA); the Committee appointed a Sub-Committee under the Convenorship of Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb, Ms. Kanwal Shauzab and Dr. Nafisa Shah, MNAs as its Members.

7. The Committee deferred the Government Bills, namely, The Motion Picture (Amendment) Bill, 2020, The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2020, The Pakistan Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and a Private Member Bill, The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulator Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2020 (moved by Ms. Uzma Riaz, MNA) and Calling Attention Notice No. 29 regarding increasing obscenity on TV channels (moved by Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali and other MNAs) till its next meeting due to paucity of time.

8. The meeting was attended by Mr. Nasir Khan Musa Zai, Mr. Tahir Iqbal, Mr. Muhammad Akram Cheema, Mr. Aftab Jehangir, Ms. Javaria Zafar Aheer, Ms. Syma Nadeem, Ms. Kanwal Shauzab, Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, Mr. Nadeem Abbas, Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb, Ms. Maiza Hameed, Mr. Saad Waseem and Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Behan MNAs (Ms. Naz Baloch & Dr. Nafisa Shah, virtual presence) & Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Minister for State, Information & Broadcasting and Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, MNA/Mover, besides senior officers from M/o Information & Broadcasting, M/o Interior, PEMRA, Ministry of Law  Justice and Police Department, Islamabad.


(SYED HASEEN RAZA ZAIDI)
Deputy Secretary/Secretary Committee