First ever journalists’ protection bill in the works: Marriyum

The Protection of Journalists Bill will be presented in the cabinet meeting soon, minister tells Senate body

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb said the present government was in the process of promulgating the first ever bill for the safety and protection of journalists, containing a comprehensive plan for providing safe working environment to them and it would be presented in the cabinet meeting soon.

She made these revelations while briefing the Senate committee on Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, chaired by Senator Aslam Bodla on Wednesday.

Marriyum said that the moment she assumed charge as a state minister, the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif advised her to bring in the legislation for the protection of the journalists.



She apprised the committee that an exhaustive discussion had taken place with regard to the Protection of Journalists Bill during the last eight months and the government was contemplating to take joint steps with media houses for the protection safety of the journalists.

All the elements of the bill presented by MNA Tariq Ullah had been incorporated in the government bill in which an appropriate definition of a journalist had also been formulated which includes all working journalists, the minister added.

Marriyum proposed the formation of a sub-committee to work further on the bBill and the chairman of the committee acceded to the request.

She informed the committee that the council of complaints of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) was being re-constituted and people from different professional fields, lawyers and journalists would be included in it.



Pemra, the state minister said, was an authority and not an investigative body and was working in conformity with rules and regulations enshrined in the relevant ordinance.

Similarly, the PTV Board of Directors had also been reformed in line with the Companies Act 2017, she added.

Marriyum also told the committee that efforts were on the anvil to improve the performance of TV as an institution and she was personally supervising the process, adding that the cooperation of parliament as well as the committee was also essential to accomplish the task.



She requested the committee to schedule a separate and exclusive meeting regarding PTV affairs.

The minister said she would be ready to brief the committee about PTV affairs and the contemplated reforms whenever the committee so desired. She informed the committee that an FIR had been registered in regards to the fake IB letter about parliamentarians.

The committee meeting was attended by senators Bashir Awan,  Zeb Jaffar,  Arifa Khalid , Naeema Kishwar, Fauzia Hameed, Tahir Iqbal Chaudhry, Parveen Masood Bhatti,  Muhammad Azhar Khan Jadoon  and Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar besides secretary Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, officials of the ministry, Pemra and PTV.