President approved Pemra Amendment Bill 2023

Arif Alvi sent 13 bills back to parliament without signing

 Aurangzeb hails bill, congratulates media workers.

Islamabad_President Dr Arif Alvi has approved PEMRA Amendment Bill 2023, 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Tuesday.

The president okayed the bill under Article 75 of the Constitution. Earlier, a delegation comprising 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) called on the president in Islamabad.

The president praised the effort of the media community for introducing amendments to Pemra law for guarding the rights of media workers. He assured the visiting dignitaries of all-out support for protecting their just rights. He said the dynamics of new forms of media, especially social media, should be understood and it is the responsibility of media to educate the people on morality and the use of social media in a responsible and constructive manner.

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.

He said that the linking of government advertisements with the payment of dues to electronic media employees would help address their issues. The president discussed in detail various aspects of the bill with the visiting delegation, adding that the amendment bill had brought improvements to the existing media law.

He also asked the members of the delegation to volunteer to educate the youth about fake news and disinformation and highlighted that teenagers were among the most vulnerable populations to the scourge of fake news, saying that they needed to be educated and sensitized about its implications.

He further said the media, especially senior journalists, should enhance linkages with academia and universities to guide and educate students about fake news and the new developments taking place in the field of journalism.

The president also urged the need to promote diversity of thought and opinions by promoting dialogue in society and free exchange of ideas.

The delegation comprised Afzal Butt, Arshad Ansari, Naz Afreen Saigol, Sarmad Ali, Shahab Zuberi, Shakeel Masud, Ijaz ul Haq, Kazim Khan, Ayaz Khan, and Azhar

Speaking to media persons, former information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb congratulated the media workers saying that they have brought the black law within the limits of democratic and basic human rights and the Constitution.

The freedom of expression has turned into a reality after the inclusion of Article 19 as a part of the law, she added.

The former information minister said that the bill will ensure financial security for media workers as the government will not grant ads to those media houses that will not pay the dues to journalists for consecutive two months.

“The transfer of powers from Pemra chairman to Council of Complaints has become law,” she said, adding that the inclusion of the representatives of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) in the council has become law.

Aurangzeb hailed the bill and said that it was a collective effort of media workers and media houses.

Earlier.

President Arif Alvi sent 13 bills back to the parliament without signing, sources said on Tuesday.

Returning the bills without signing, the president directed the parliament to reconsider them, the insiders said.

These bills include the Federal Public Service Commission, Amendment Bill, Federal Urdu University Amendment Bill, NFC Institute Multan Amendment Bill, National Commission for Human Development Amendment Bill, National Institute for Technology Bill, Code of Criminal Procedure Amendment Bill, National Skills University Amendment Bill, Import Export Amendment Bill, Higher Education Commission Amendment Bill, Pakistan Institute of Management Science and Technology Bill and Horizon University Bill.