NA body unanimously approves Pemra Amendment Bill 2023
Pakistan
Pemra law is the need of the hour as the entire media landscape has changed: minister
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting has unanimously approved the Pemra Amendment Bill 2023.
The committee, which met in Islamabad with Javeria Zafar Aheer in the chair, described the bill as a historic initiative for the welfare of journalists and appreciated all the efforts of the stakeholders including the government.
The committee also discussed The Press Council of Pakistan Amendment Bill 2023.
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, while briefing the committee, said amending the Pemra law was the need of the hour as the entire landscape of the media had changed.
She said under the amended law, for the first time media workers had been given the right to file complaints in the Council of Complaints. In the past, she said, the journalists were sacked even for demanding salaries.
Under the new bill, a three-member committee, instead of the Pemra chairman, would have the powers to close down a channel.
The minister said that in the past, an unsuccessful attempt was made to bring a black law like the Pakistan Media Development Authority. However, the present government took 13 months to prepare the amended bill as extensive consultations were held with all stakeholders including media workers' organisations and owners of media houses.
She said the definitions of fake news, disinformation and misinformation had been included in the bill.
Aurangzeb said under the new bill, the fine for deliberately spreading fake news had been increased from Rs1 million to Rs10 million and the scope of public entertainment, education and information had been expanded.
The minister said as per the amended bill, timely payment refers to payments made to electronic media employees within two months. She said at the federal and provincial levels, government advertisements would not be given to the electronic media houses for non-payment of salaries.
The duration of airing advertisements would not exceed five minutes during a regular programme on the electronic media. The minister said the broadcast media licences would be issued for 20 years and the distribution licences for 10 years.
Aurangzeb said that for the first time, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and the Pakistan Broadcasters Association had been given representation under the new Pemra law, while the condition of not broadcasting disinformation had also been included in the news channels' code of conduct.
The minister said the grievance councils would be based in Islamabad and provincial capitals to redress the grievances of the people, institutions and others.
Pemra chairman Saleem Baig told the panel that all electronic media channels were legally bound to submit a copy of their annual audit reports every year.
Pemra (Amendment) Bill introduced in NA Session
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was introduced in the National Assembly session.
Speaking on the bill, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said amendments had been introduced in the bill to enhance credibility of the news content and curbing disinformation as well as misinformation.
She said the definition of fake news had been made part of the bill to ensure objectivity.
