IHC rubbishes Rao Tehseen's appointment, restores Rashid Ahmad as PEMRA chief

Court declares the notification to appoint Rao Tehseen void.


Web Desk December 26, 2013
Rashid had been appointed chairman of the government’s media watchdog on January 28, 2013, by former president Asif Ali Zardari under Section 6 of Pemra Rules.

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court on Thursday declared void the notification to appoint Rao Tehseen as Chairman of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), restoring Chaudhry Rashid Ahmad to the post, Express News reported.

Rashid Ahmad was removed from the post of chairman last week after the Federal Minister for Water and Power Development Khawaja Asif had challenged Rashid’s appointment by the former government in the Supreme Court.

Rashid had been appointed chairman of the government’s media watchdog on January 28, 2013, by former president Asif Ali Zardari under Section 6 of Pemra Rules. This was after a ruling by the apex court barred the acting Pemra chairman Dr Abdul Jabbar from holding office.

Khawaja Asif argued that the appointment was not carried out in accordance with the January 15 order of the Supreme Court regarding the vacant PEMRA chairman’s office.

The government then issued a notification appointing Rao Tehseen as acting chairman of the body.

On the night of December 16, the IHC declared Rashid's dismissal null and void.

It has now truncated the notification of Tehseen's appointment as well.

PEMRA chief accused of malpractice, harassment

On the other hand, the Pemra Officers Welfare Association (POWA) is accusing the Rashid Ahmad of fabricating cases against them and threatening them with dire consequences.

In a statement issued by POWA’s secretary-general Amjad Ali, he claimed the chief of the media regulatory body, Chaudhry Rashid Ahmed, has been threatening its members ever since he was reinstated. The threats are being issued by Ahmed’s relatives and supporters who are illegally employed in the organisation, he added.

The statement listed the ‘unfair practices’ of the Pemra chairman, including the harassment of regular officers in private and through courts to threaten them to keep mum regarding his unlawful acts, such as the regularisation of his associates and well-wishers against the decision of the federal government.

He also purchased official vehicles banned by the federal government and made exorbitant payments to private counsels without any authority or licensing.

COMMENTS (9)

Usman khan | 10 years ago | Reply PEMRA to make electronic media responsible PEMRA is the print and electronic media regulatory authority being responsible to filter and to maintain check and balance on the material which is being publicizing on different print and electronic media. The main reason for the establishment of regulatory body is to prevent and regulate the content which is going illegal and creates negative or harmful impact upon the audience. It had been noticed that PEMRA is not fulfilling its responsibility and seems that there is the provision to the media without any restriction; it has come to know that different TV channels are broadcasting the advertisement of doctors which are claiming such accurate and absolute false claims which may be harmful for the audience. PEMRA seems silent on this issue and permitting the channels to broadcast such fake advertisements by knowing the impact of such advertisements. Health is an important factor for any person to become conscious on such matter, people are more reluctant to believe on the that, what is presenting to them without knowing the authenticity of the such thing, and specially in the case of health it is natural phenomena that when a person is hopeless for curing its sickness then he tries each and every thing for the treatment without thinking that what he is trying to do is really effective or not. It is such a critical and alarming situation that advertisements of fake doctors are being running frequently on different TV channels, making fake absolute claims to cure all the disease a patient may face, e.g. a person is a patient of sugar and is watching the advertisement of doctor who is making 100% absolute claim for the treatment of sugar than how it could be possible for him not to believe on such advertisement rather the claim is fake or not. In the research it has been found that most of these homeopathic doctors had fake degrees, half an hour long advertisements left serious affect and curiosity among the audience that such doctor really has the solution for the treatment of every disease. TV channels are regularly advertising these advertisements without thinking the serious repercussions that a patient may face due to such ads because it is a serious threat to the life of people who believes and get treatment from these doctors. Recommendations PEMRA is the regulatory authority and is responsible to take action on such practice and make it sure that no advertisements will be allowed which cause harmful impact upon the audience and have to filter and monitor the ongoing content on print and specially on electronic media. PEMRA had to take strong action against these channels that are playing with the lives of common people and make it sure to stop these fake advertisements.
Aam Aadmi | 10 years ago | Reply

@ Jibran Is it the same way as Imran Khan became orphan upon the retirement of General Ahmed Shuja Pasha?? And since then we see no more "electables" being herd into PTI rather the bogus degreeholders (Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Yousaf Ayub & Ayela Malik etc) are exposed!!

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