The Senate Committee on Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage directed Interior Ministry to submit its version with respect to Bol channel issues with a warning to submit the Bill to access information otherwise it will be presented in the Senate as a Private Member Bill. The committee was headed by Senator Kamil Ali Agha in which the issues regarding salaries of the employees of Bol channel and its progress was particularly discussed.
Secretary Information, Imran Gardezi gave updates about Bol TV channel to the committee. He said that 108 employees have moved the Islamabad High Court in this matter and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has informed the Information Ministry that they could not find anything against Bol channels and thus the accounts of Bol channel were not put on hold. FIA also told that Axact used to fund the Bol channel and its accounts had been frozen. He said as far as the Bol licence is concerned, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority is the right authority to be asked. Chairman PEMRA, Absar Alam, told the committee that PEMRA wrote with reference to the selection of Board of Directors of Labaik Private Limited to Interior Ministry on March 21, 2013 as it is Interior Ministry which issues NOC. He said the PEMRA played its role which was only to send a letter to Interior Ministry for the security clearance, which the Ministry cleared without any objection.
On May 9, 2013, he said Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) sent a letter to the Interior Ministry with respect to the cancellation of Labaik Private Limited licence. On July 4, 2013, when the new government took over, Interior Ministry sent another letter for the cancellation of licence which was approved previously on March 25.
On July 5, the Ministry claimed that the approval was issued mistakenly; hence the security clearance was withdrawn. Chairman PEMRA said as soon as Interior Ministry will issue the security clearance, the channel will be resumed. He said the role of PEMRA is not as such as it has been highlighted in this case. Senator Saeed Ghani showed his reservations over the matter and said that Bol started its working in 2013, hiring was even publicly announced, but neither the Interior Ministry, nor PEMRA or Information Ministry or FIA as well as other agencies took notice of the situation at that time but after the foreign article which was published on May 18, 2015, they became active. Chairman Senator Kamil said under the Sindh assembly resolution, this matter should be resolved. Bol representative Nazir Laghari expressed confusion over the government's proceedings and said first the Bol security clearance had been approved; NOC was issued and then was taken back too. He said council of complaints took over the case but didn't address the point of view of Bol and gave a decision against it.
Senator Saeed Ghani said the letter issued by Ministry of Interior to BOL channel on May 28, 2015 was illegal since the letter was issued for the cancellation of licence without completing the information. He said if it be the case then Interior Ministry can close the transmission of any channel anytime.
With respect to the issues related to the employees and their salaries of PTV, Chairman Kamil summoned the new chairman PTV to attend the next meeting while giving a briefing on the proceedings and policies regarding progress of PTV.
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