Media talk: ‘There is dire need of rules and regulations for journalists’

We need laws to secure their jobs, says state minister for information


Our Correspondent December 04, 2016
State minister for information Maryam Aurangzeb was given traditional ajrak after the media talk. PHOTO: INP

KARACHI: There is a dire need of laws, rules and regulations for journalists all across the country, said state minister for  information Maryam Aurangzeb during a media talk at Karachi Press Club on Sunday.

There should be proper laws to secure the jobs of the journalists in the country, she said, adding a body consisting of journalists should be made to formulate effective policies for media persons.

A bill for protection of journalists will be presented in the National Assembly for the first time in the history of Pakistan, she claimed.

Talking about generating funds for press clubs, she remarked that rather than relying on government funds, the clubs should generate funds on their own.

Criticising journalistic ethics, she also said that the institutional board should be revived for responsible reporting. "Few television channels only defame a few people," she remarked. "PEMRA [Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority] is working according to the law of the country and it follows the regulations specified for national interest." Government can take the help of media in making effective national interest policies, she added.

Praising the current government, she said it has done a tremendous job of maintaining peace across the country. The current government has also invested more in the energy sector as compared to others, claimed Aurangzeb.

She also clarified that the inflation rate in Pakistan has gone down by to a record level in the history of the country. She also mentioned that there has been a prominent decrease in load-shedding in the last three years.

The 2018 election will decide whether the people elect Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as the country's Prime Minister or not, she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2016.

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