Supreme Court’s directives: PEMRA meeting to define term ‘obscenity’ on August 27
The media watchdog had been asked by SC to clearly define the term.
ISLAMABAD:
On the directives of the Supreme Court, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has decided to define the term ‘obscenity’ in a Pakistani context, in a meeting to be held on August 27.
The apex court had taken notice of the petitions filed against obscenity and vulgarity being broadcast on the electronic media.
The petitions were filed by Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed and former chief of Jamat-e-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed. They requested the regulatory body to make policy guidelines barring TV channels from broadcasting vulgarity.
Fakhar-ud-Din Mughal, the head of media wing of Pemra, said that they will be holding a consultative meeting on Monday, August 27 with stakeholders to define the term.
According to the law, TV channels are barred from telecasting ‘obscene material’; however there are no set parameters to what can be classified as obscene.
Whatever consensus is generated in the upcoming meeting for the definition of the term, Pemra will submit the results to the Supreme Court.
“Pemra is empowered to change the regulations but it would need a parliamentary nod if it would have to bring the changes through an act,” Mughal said.
It is not yet clear, however, if the proposed changes would be incorporated in the internal regulations of the body or through a parliamentary act.
According to Chairman Pemra, no specific definition of obscenity or vulgarity exists in the Constitution, the Penal Code or the Pemra laws. However, the regulatory body acknowledges that the term needs to be defined in order to guide the electronic media about what is suitable for being broadcast to the wider society.
For this purpose, Pemra in its comprehensive Draft Content Regulations of February 2012 had inscribed some definitions of obscene content that were derived from international metaphors.
The Draft Regulations were published on Pemra’s website and were also massively publicised to fetch comments from the public.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2012.
On the directives of the Supreme Court, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has decided to define the term ‘obscenity’ in a Pakistani context, in a meeting to be held on August 27.
The apex court had taken notice of the petitions filed against obscenity and vulgarity being broadcast on the electronic media.
The petitions were filed by Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed and former chief of Jamat-e-Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed. They requested the regulatory body to make policy guidelines barring TV channels from broadcasting vulgarity.
Fakhar-ud-Din Mughal, the head of media wing of Pemra, said that they will be holding a consultative meeting on Monday, August 27 with stakeholders to define the term.
According to the law, TV channels are barred from telecasting ‘obscene material’; however there are no set parameters to what can be classified as obscene.
Whatever consensus is generated in the upcoming meeting for the definition of the term, Pemra will submit the results to the Supreme Court.
“Pemra is empowered to change the regulations but it would need a parliamentary nod if it would have to bring the changes through an act,” Mughal said.
It is not yet clear, however, if the proposed changes would be incorporated in the internal regulations of the body or through a parliamentary act.
According to Chairman Pemra, no specific definition of obscenity or vulgarity exists in the Constitution, the Penal Code or the Pemra laws. However, the regulatory body acknowledges that the term needs to be defined in order to guide the electronic media about what is suitable for being broadcast to the wider society.
For this purpose, Pemra in its comprehensive Draft Content Regulations of February 2012 had inscribed some definitions of obscene content that were derived from international metaphors.
The Draft Regulations were published on Pemra’s website and were also massively publicised to fetch comments from the public.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2012.