ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Monday was informed that the government has planned to set up a new regulatory authority for all types of media, namely Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), with the consensus of all stakeholders which would be free from government intervention.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain told the committee meeting, chaired by Senator Faisal Javed, that presently Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) was regulating electronic media, while Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) was looking after print media and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority was responsible for regulation of digital media.

He said that with advancements in technology, all media have converged in cellular mobile phone set and there was a need to constitute an authority which could regulate all media simultaneously.

He informed that he had held meetings with political leaders to discuss the formation of new media regulatory authority.

Elaborating the objective of formation of new media regulatory authority, he said that presently print media workers were provided protection under the laws but there were no rules and regulations for protection of electronic media workers rights.

Moreover, he said that the proprietors of the media houses also face problems as they have to go to different regulatory authorities for various media and one authority would definitely benefit them.

He said that media in Pakistan enjoyed more freedom than the Islamic Ummah and the entire so-called Third World and the incumbent government, believing in freedom of expression, did not want to impose any curbs on the free media.

Senator Faisal Javed said that the world was moving towards specialization and there was need of specialized regulation here. He said that there would be no compromise on freedom of expression and Prime Minister Imran Khan had a clear stance on the issue.

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