ISLAMABAD: The government and Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) have reached a consensus on all points for code of conduct for electronic media and soon a summary will be sent to the Prime Minister for their implementation.
The PBA played a responsible role in finalizing the code of conduct draft by attending many meetings held in this regard. Deliberations on every point and each word of code of conduct were thoroughly made in the meetings before reaching at the consensus draft. It is a milestone in the history to reach a consensus on code of conduct for electronic media after lapse of 13 years.
This was stated by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Affairs Irfan Siddiqui while taking to APP here. He said that the Prime Minister had constituted a committee comprising representatives of the PBA, APNS and CPNE for finalizing the code of conduct.
However, the committee remained confined to the representatives of the PBA and the government, owing to a separate code of conduct for print media and in the presence of Pakistan Press Council.
The negotiations process remained suspended due to some difference of opinion between the two sides on some points at the initial stage. But the Supreme Court during hearing of a writ filed by journalists Hamid Mir and Absar Alam issued order to the government and the PBA on June 12 to sit together and complete the process for code of conduct. The government and PBA resumed negotiations in light of the apex court's directives and after several meetings reached a consensus.
Replying to a question, Irfan Saddiqui said the PBA had proposed valuable suggestions besides playing a positive role for reaching a consensus draft of the code of conduct, which has been placed before the Supreme Court. Both sides have some reservations over only three points which have been sorted out. The SC in its short order on June 24, 2015 also said, on June 18.6.2015 "we had noted that Code of Conduct for Electronic Media had been agreed" by various interested parties including Pakistan Broadcasters Association and the Government.
Irfan Saddiqui said the draft was ready and it would be implemented after the approval of the Prime Minister.
He said that the PBA and the government were still in touch because the PBA had some reservations over the implementation mechanism of code of conduct.
PEMRA and the government would consider the PBA's reservations with an open heart, he said and added a fresh round of talks could be started on the implementation mechanism after Eid.
Irfan Saddiqui said that the government believed in freedom of expression and the code of conduct was also aimed at creating a balance between freedom of expression and responsibility.
He said that in the past several attempts were made to reach a consensus on code of conduct for electronic media but failed. He said that credit goes to the present government, the PBA and other stakeholders for preparing a comprehensive code of conduct and reaching the consensus on the draft after 13 years.
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