The APNS notes with concern the notice issued by Pemra to a television channel owned by the establishment of an APNS member publication, and is firmly of the view this constitutes a major infringement of constitutionally - guaranteed press freedoms by this regulatory authority.
The APNS is of the considered opinion that Pemra may only usefully function as a facilitator body between the media and publics stated a press release of the APNS.
The Secretary General, APNS, Muhammad Aslam Kazi on the orders of the President, APNS summoned an emergency meeting of the Executive Committee of the APNS to consider the complaint of the daily Business Recorder against a government action on its television network by Pemra. In an ill-worded show cause notice, the channel was ordered to produce an NOC from the Ministry of Information for its provisional uplinking licence. The notice also demanded that the channel should explain its position on airing program pertaining to the presidential ref against the Chief Justice pending in the Supreme Judicial Council.
The Executive Committee of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society observed that there were several lacunas in the laws relating to electronic media. The fact of the law having been amended by parliament1 is a demonstration of the acute problems faced by the media with respect to licensing and regulation.
The Executive Committee further expressed the hope that improvements to draconian rules and regulations would now be made under the newly amended law. A level playing held needs to be made available to all media establishments under such amendments, Till such time, Pemra should be advised to refrain from issuing arbitrary notices which disrupt govt - press relations, stated the APNS resolution.
The APNS invited the attention of higher authorities to the circumstances which earlier led to attack on Islamabad television station which was deemed by President Musharrsf as a conspiracy against his government. The mal-intent behind the issuance of a notice to Aaj should also be viewed in hindsight in an identical perspective. The government should order officials at Pemra to refrain from acting in a manner likely to prejudice the public goodwill for the government, that it purports to serve. Such actions tend to negate freedoms and the public right to information, concluded the APNS resolution
The meeting of the Executive Committee was attended by the following: Hameed Haroon, President APNS, Muhammad Aslam Kazi, Secretary General, Syed Sarmad Ali, Joint Secretary, Anwar Farooqui (Daily Aghaz), Mehtab Khan (Daily Ausaf), Dr Jabbar Khattak (Daily Awami Awaz), Arshad A. Zuberi (Daily Business Recorder), Kazi Asad Abid (Daily Ibrat), Javed Mehr Shamsi (D/Kaleem), Aamir Mahmood (M/Kiran), Inquilab Matri (Daily Millat Gujrati),
Mushtaq A. Qureshi (M/Naey Ufaq) and Ilyas Shakir (Daily Qaumi Akhbar). Mubashir Mir of Daily Pakistan and Mian Akbar Ali of Daily Khabrain attended the meeting as special observers.-PR