NA question hour: Channels fined for airing obscene ads, says Pervaiz Rashid

Say Pemra has issued warnings to several channels for violating code of conduct.

ISLAMABAD:

The National Assembly was told on Wednesday that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority [PEMRA] has taken cognizance of ‘obscene’ advertisements and has fined some TV channels for airing them.

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid told the National Assembly through a written reply that “it is a fact that some of the advertisements aired on private satellite TV channels are obscene.”

The minister was responding to Sheikh Salahuddin’s question: “Whether it is a fact that obscene advertisements are being telecast by various channels, [and] if so, what steps are being taken by the ministry to control them?”

Talking about the steps taken by the Pemra, Rashid said the authority takes cognizance of such violations and has issued advices, warnings and notices to its licensees to refrain from airing such advertisements.

In some instances, fines were also imposed on these satellite TV channels for airing content in contravention to the Pemra code of conduct, he added.

Moreover, the Pakistan Broadcasting Association (PBA) and Pakistan Advertising Society (PAS) were taken on board in order to edit some advertisements which were deemed obscene, the minister said.

To another question, Rashid said a total of 62,622 advertisements regarding the election campaign of political parties were telecasted by 69 different TV channels from March 17 to May 11, 2013.

According to the party-wise breakdown, Pakistan Peoples Party tops the list with 26,237 advertisements aired by 51 TV channels. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf stood second with 16,363 advertisements which were aired by 56 channels and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was at number three with 12,521 advertisements on 50 TV channels.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2014.