Media outage: Govt orders PEMRA to restore broadcast of TV channels
The directives have come in nearly 24 hours after the media outage.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Government has directed Pakistan Electronic Regulatory Media Authority (Pemra) on Sunday to restore broadcast of all television channels in areas where the operations were halted yesterday in a much condemned move following launch of Faizabad operation.
The decision was taken under Electronic Media Code of Conduct 2015.
The media regulators had cited district administrations for the clamp down that resulted in complaints from across the country of lack of access to updates on the operation.
Dunya News went off-air in Islamabad and other cities among other channels. A Lahore-based television channel was taken off-air at 08:00pm Saturday night for airing a press conference of leaders of the protesting parties.
On the other hand, security operation against Faizabad protesters is continuing with Rangers leading police and Frontier Corps (FC).
Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) strongly condemned the unilateral stifling of electronic media channels.
“PBA is a signatory to the Code of Conduct that is approved by the Supreme Court and has always been willing to abide by it. The right to information is a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution,” the PBA stated in a press release.
“The outright closure of news channels regardless of their content and conduct will not be acceptable by PBA and this action must be revered immediately.”
