Committee to 'liaise' PMDA matters with stakeholders formed

The federal government on Wednesday constituted a committee to 'liaise' the matters of the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PDMA) with stakeholders, a day after media organisations of the country totally rejected the proposed ordinance.

"The competent authority has approved the constitution of a committee to liaise and discuss Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) with stakeholders," said a tweet by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The statement by the ministry said that the Minister of State Farrukh Habib will be the chairman, Mahar-un-Nisa as member and secretary while Sohail Ali Khan and Manzoor Ali Memon will be the members of the committee.

The rejection of the ordinance came during a joint meeting of All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ, Barna Group), PFUJ (Dastoor Group) and Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND).

Read Media bodies reject ordinance aimed to ‘muzzle freedom of press’

The meeting was of the unanimous opinion that the proposed PMDA is intended to hinder media freedom and take control over the media by the top information bureaucracy.

The attendees agreed that the concept was an attempt to tighten the federal government’s hold over the media through one draconian authority ignoring the fact that print, digital and electronic media are separate entities each with their own defined features and respective regulatory laws.

The move, they said, appeared as an extension of the now-defunct Press and Publications Ordinance 1963 (PPO) of the Ayub Khan era to all media platforms with regimental provisions to take over the independent and free media.

“This has no place in a democratically elected dispensation,” the joint declaration stated.

The joint meeting decided to resist the establishment of PMDA at all levels including legal recourse, protest measures and advertising campaigns to educate the public against this blatant attempt to subjugate and control the media and curtail peoples’ right to know.

The meeting decided to form a Joint Action Committee of APNS, PBA, CPNE, PFUJ and AEMEND to decide further actions and seek support from political parties, bar associations, human right organisations and other segments of the civil society to oppose the proposed attack on media and urge upon the federal government to immediately withdraw the proposal.