The Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman met the delegation of the Pakistan Broadcasters Association in Islamabad on Tuesday. The delegation was headed by the PBA President Salman Iqbal, who briefed the Minister on the progress of the code of conduct being prepared by the Association.
The PBA is a representative body of private sector broadcasters in the country. Talking to the delegation, the Minister said that the PPP government's stress on a self-regulatory order for Pakistan's media is to ensure the creation of a sound, responsible and accountable media environment that delivers on public interest.
"Being a democratic government, we are deeply interested in strengthening all institutions that contribute to a healthy democracy." Sherry Rehman said that the PBA's commitment to develop a code of conduct to regulate media content and broader aspects of its operations will go a long way in delivering the benefits of information era to the public.
"As an elected government, we are faced with public's expectations for the establishment of mechanisms to address the issues of misuse of media's power, and violation of public right to informed decision-making.
And while we remain committed to oblige the public mandate, we stress media's involvement in the process as there is need for a culture of responsibility and accountability in information management," she added. The PBA delegation assured the Information Minister of their efforts to draw the code of conduct incorporating the participation of all media organisations for a consensus-driven policy framework.-PR