Needless delay in drafting bill irks NA panel

The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Monday expressed dissatisfaction over the needless delay in drafting the bill for the protection of journalists, directing the information minister to brief it on the amendments in the next meeting.

During the committee meeting chaired by Javaria Zafar Aheer, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Shahera Shahid said the ministry was working on the draft bill for journalists' protection, which would be finalised after incorporating suggestions from the stakeholders.

The information secretary said the cases pertaining to the protection of journalists and media professionals were transferred from the Human Rights Division to the Information Division, which had now transferred them to the Parliamentary Affairs Division.

The panel expressed dissatisfaction over the briefing given by the information secretary regarding the draft legislation, directing the minister for information and broadcasting to brief the committee on the amendments in its next meeting.

Further, the Islamabad Capital Territory police representative briefed the committee on the progress of the cases pertaining to the protection of journalists and media professionals.

He said directives had been issued to the patrolling officials of the ICT police for the security of the media houses as well as the residences of the media professionals.

He said that as per the court directions, only one first information report would be registered in one case. The committee directed the interior minister to brief it regarding the measures taken by the ministry for the protection of journalists in the next meeting.

Earlier, the information secretary said seven bills were under consideration, which would be forwarded by the ministry to the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases after making amendments.

In that regard, she said, the ministry had been persistently holding consultations with the stakeholders to seek their input as directed by the Islamabad High Court.

The committee was given a briefing on draft legislation pertaining to attached departments of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, including the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, Pakistan Information Department, Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Associate Press of Pakistan and other related acts.

Later, the panel deferred the Private Member's Bill titled ‘The Indecent Advertisement Prohibition (Amendment) Bill, 2022’ (moved by MNA Muhammad Jamaluddin) along with other legislative business and decided to consider the same in the next meeting.