Parliamentary Reporting: PTV accused of bias

The petitioner says that a bar against any MNA amounted to a violation of the Constitution.

LAHORE: A constitutional petition has been moved in the Lahore High Court against the alleged government policy of not airing the speech of the leader of the opposition during the National Assembly session on Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV).

The petition filed by Advocate Waqar Ahmed Chaudhry, submitted that the Leader of the Opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ahmed addressed a session of Parliament on May 9 which was not aired by PTV.  PTV managing director (MD) and information secretary have been named as respondents. The petitioner says that a bar against any MNA, particularly, the leader of the opposition amounted to a violation of the Constitution.  He said under Article 19-A of the Constitution, access to information is a fundamental right of the people.  The petitioner prayed the court to direct the PTV telecast the parliamentary proceedings impartially and neutrally.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2011.