Rudderless: Press Council of Pakistan, a name with no faces

Most top positions vacant since council’s inception in 2002.

ISLAMABAD:

The Press Council of Pakistan (PCP), the official watchdog to implement the ethical code of practice for the print media, has been largely dysfunctional since its inception in 2002.

The PCP was established in 2002 through a presidential ordinance and comprises representatives of the All Pakistan Newspaper Society, the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and government officials and legislators.

According to sources in the PCP, the positions of registrar, administration and finance directors-general, administration and finance directors, deputy directors and assistant directors, database deputy director and judicial deputy director have not yet been filled.

According to some sources, the ordinance was totally silent about service structure and appointments. According to sources
and PCP officials, appointments were not being made in a deliberate effort to fend off ‘obstacles’ in using financial and administrative powers.

“No service structure exits in the PCP. Anybody can do anything in the council,” said an official. The PCP has been holding meetings across the county to implement the 17-point ethical code of practice, but practically it has not been able to take action on “repugnant” or “objectionable” material published by any print media outlets or organisations.

The PCP receives Rs10.5 million per year from the government. It has no sub-offices in any province, and although a building was rented in Lahore for Rs45,000 per month, it is “almost non-functional” as no official has appointed there.

Iqbal Jafri, one of the council members, said that a committee, after drafting service structure and rules for the PCP in 2011, had sent the same to the Ministry of Information to get formal approval from parliament. He said that they did their job, and responsibility now rests with the government.

Raja Mohammad Shafqat Abbasi, the chairman of the body, denied that the Lahore office was not functioning, saying a total of three persons were on duty.

Abbasi said that PCP offices could not be set up in provinces due financial constraints as the PCP, according to him, was receiving negligible funding.

Ministry of Information Deputy Secretary Rafique Ahmad confessed that the PCP was faced with several issues. He claimed that they were trying to resolve the issues facing the body.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2014.