Media under focus

It is quite likely that country's new information minister Fawad Chaudhry, who is undoubtedly a learned person with a liberal outlook, will soon be known for evoking considerable controversies after he sparked a new controversy by announcing that a "unified" regulatory body for all media, including social media, would be formed.
The media organizations have therefore strongly reacted to his step as a similar move was made in September last year by a few officers of the information ministry of the PML-N government who had floated the idea of reintroducing regulations of the 1960s aimed at controlling the press. The Press and Publication Ordinance 1960 is considered as the darkest law in the press history of the country. The move was reportedly opposed even by the government and an action was initiated against the officers concerned. But the information minister seems to have resurrected the proposal soon after assuming his office. According to him, the role of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and the Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) had been reviewed and it had been decided that all the regulatory authorities would be merged into one body - called the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority. It is said the principal targets of media regulation are the press, radio and television, but it increasingly appears that the PTI government also seeks to bring under increased regulatory focus film, recorded music, cable, satellite, storage and distribution of technology, the internet, mobile phones, etc. PTI Punjab information minister Fayyaz Chauhan has already gone too far by making it clear to people that how he looks at country's entertainment industry and those who are associated with it, although he later withdrew his words and tendered an apology.