President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday accorded his approval to Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Amendment Bill 2023.

The president approved the bill under Article 75 of the Constitution of Pakistan, President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release.

The development comes after President Alvi assured media workers and the journalist community of his support for the Pemra Amendment Bill 2023.

The president gave these assurances during a delegation of representatives of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), and Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND), who called on him, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release.

The delegation included Afzal Butt, Arshad Ansari, Naz Afreen Saigol, Sarmad Ali, Shahab Zuberi, Shakeel Masud, Ijazul Haq, Kazim Khan, Ayaz Khan, and Azhar Abbas.

Talking to the delegation, the president appreciated the collective efforts of the media community for introducing amendments to the Pemra law, especially to protect the rights of media workers.

The previous PDM-led government had passed the “The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023,” which gives the powers to the Parliamentary Committee to appoint the PEMRA chairperson earlier this month.

The bill was passed by both houses separately on the same day with some amendments.