PHOTO: FILE
A two-member bench of Sindh High Court, headed by Justice Ghulam Sarwar Korai, hearing a petition filed by the Independent Media Corporation has issued notices to the country’s electronic media regulator along with other respondents.
The complainant has made Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and a television channel company, Horizon, respondents in the petition.
The complainant maintains that Pemra has allowed Pakistani channels to air only up to 10% foreign content, however, the said TV channel was airing 80-90% foreign content.
Pemra has failed in its mandate to regulate the electronic media and take notice of excess of foreign serials on the local channel, the complainant said.
Independent Media Corporation said Pemra’s inaction against Horizon for airing excess foreign content was discriminatory and unconstitutional.
The complainant urged the court to make the respondent bring foreign content in its channel in conformity with the law and impose fine and cancel its licences if it fails to do so.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 11th, 2013.
COMMENTS (13)
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@Dr. Asad Sadick, Germany:
As far as these programs are not vulgar or anti-state or anti-islam, there should be no restrictions.
Then what vulgarity is my dear? Dont you see the picture above.
@Thor: There are so many other ways to generate money, do you want to use them?
@S!D:
First explain what your great culture and values are. Then identify what might be damaging your culture and values. Is it that Pakistan is rapidly becoming the laughing stock of the world and a failed state? Or would you like to preserve a stone-age mentality to maintain the status quo of the rich and powerful?
Ours is a society which is confused, we dont even know what we can see and what we cannot see ???. The judges have to decide that, when will we come to our senses.
@Dr. Asad Sadick, Germany: Sir, dont you see that they are violatiing the rules of Pemra? If court has no business in treating complains against the violation of rules and constitution then what is the purpose of thier existence. Don't be a blind or biased critic.
Come on Geo, be a sport! Geo Kahani too is 75% turk/indian content!
Court has accepted a petition filed by a competitor against an entertainment channel. It is a typical case of stifling the competition through legal route. Who will be the main loser? It is the consumer, whose choices will be restricted through legal machinations. Main winner will be big business in media. Excessive profits can only be earned by them by constraining competition. And law has become the part of creating oligopoly structure in the media market with less ground for innovation. Efforts should be made by civil society in impeding this INEFFICIENT allocation of resources in the economy. No to SUBSIDIZING of Big Business, Yes to COMPETITIVE market environment.
Where is freedom of the media? The courts have no business to entertain such complaints. As far as these programs are not vulgar or anti-state or anti-islam, there should be no restrictions.
Independent Media Corp., if I am not wrong, is the parent concern for Geo. It also pushes too much foreign content on TV. Secondly, Urdu1 is based out of Pakistan. Thirdly, how much local content are they airing on their own channels, Geo Entertainment and Geo Kahani.
We had unchecked proliferation of smuggled foreign goods in the country and now we have to deal with unchecked proliferation of foreign TV serials.
As if we care, all media houses, especially these news channels should also focus on paying their employees on time and raising their pay rather being concerned who aired what. I wish the silly "Journalist Unions or Employees unions" of these channels and media houses would drag these TV channels to courts, and I wish these judges would take action on the non-payment or delayed payment to employees as well.
From First till So-called Fourth pillar (Media), all of them are corrupt!