PEMRA chief: SC ask govt to submit clarification

Supreme Court expresses annoyance with govt over failure to appoint permanent head of PEMRA

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court expressed annoyance with the government on Tuesday over its failure to appoint a permanent head of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and demanded a clarification from the government.

The apex court’s three-judge special bench – headed by Justice Aijaz Afzal Khan – was hearing the case. Earlier, Deputy Attorney General Khawaja Ahmed Hussain submitted a report, in which the government took the stance that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had formed a committee to compile the code of ethics for print and electronic media.

However, Justice Aijaz Ahmed Chaudhry – a member of the bench – remarked that committees were used to delay matters. “Our concern is that why Pemra did not take action against a TV channel if it aired objectionable content,” he noted. The judge said Pemra would also have to offer a clarification before the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2014