Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) vice chairman Syed Amjad Shah on Saturday said that the proposed media tribunal will further complicate all media related cases and complaints pending before PEMRA's complaint cell. Talking to Business Recorder Shah said that the government has already stifled the media and through these kind of tribunals it wants to gag it further.
"If the government is so keen to dispose of media related cases, it should have expedited those cases pending at PEMRA's Complaint Cell but the government's intent is clearly not speedy disposal of cases but to stifle the media," he added. He further stated that in the event that tribunals are set up, journalists negatively affected by the ruling can seek remedy under Article 199 of the constitution, which will further burden the courts.
Former vice president Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Ikram Chaudhry said that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and General Ziaul Haq made similar attempts to gag the press but they did not succeed. "Instead of curbing the media under one pretext or another, the government should do focus on providing speedy justice to common man," he added.
Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokar of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) said his party has already rejected and condemned setting up of media tribunals. "The PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has already rejected media courts. We should remind the prime minister [Imran Khan] that such acts are against media freedom," he said.
He said the PPP would oppose such a move both inside and outside parliament as it believes in democracy and freedom of speech. Senator Murtaza Javed Abbasi of PML-N said that establishment of media tribunals is a wilful attempt of the ruling PTI to control the media, "which we will resist tooth and nail".
He contended that the PTI has already stifled the media and wants to control it further to perpetuate its rule, "but political parties and rights group will not allow this." In a statement issued here, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) strongly rejected the government's move to launch media tribunals.
Both the media groups urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to immediately withdraw the decision of setting up media tribunals.
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