PTI Senator Shibli Faraz has been appointed the new information minister of the country, federal minister Fawad Chaudhry and state-run Pakistan Television announced on Monday.

Meanwhile, retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa has been appointed as special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) for information, a title previously held by Firdous Ashiq Awan.”The prime minister … has been pleased to appoint Lt Gen (Rtd) Asim Saleem Bajwa as special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting, in [an] honorary capacity, with immediate effect,” a notification issued by the Cabinet Division said.

A second notification read: “The prime minister has been pleased to remove Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan from the office of special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting, with immediate effect.”

The announcement was first made by Chaudhry, the minister for science and technology who earlier held the information portfolio.

The reason for the changes announced was not immediately clear. It also remains unclear if Awan will be assigned another portfolio.

Taking to Twitter, Awan thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for trusting her, saying it was his prerogative to decide which member of his team will serve on what position. “I respect his decision,” she added.

She also refuted news reports aired by some TV channels claiming she was removed from her office due to alleged corruption, terming them “concocted” and “baseless”.

“As a political worker, my objective is the country’s progress and the welfare of the people, which will continue under the PM’s leadership,” Awan wrote, congratulating Faraz and Bajwa on their appointments.

Who is Shibli Faraz?
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Faraz — who was appointed as the leader of the house in Senate in August 2018 — was elected to the upper house in March 2015 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He is the son of acclaimed (late) poet Ahmed Faraz.

Faraz, a former banker, is chairman of the Senate’s standing committee on commerce and special committee on circular debt. He is also a member of the committee on planning and development and reforms, water resources, statistics, and climate change and a member of the parliamentary committee on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

He did a Master’s in International Relations from the University de Los Andes (Colombia) in 1994.

Ex-army spokesman to represent govt
Retired Lt Gen Bajwa had served as Commander Southern Command before his retirement. He remained the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) from 2012 to 2016.In November last year, Bajwa was appointed by the government as the chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPECA), which comes under the planning and development ministry.

Firdous Ashiq Awan: PPP stalwart-turned-PTI spokesperson
Firdous Ashiq Awan, who was a PPP stalwart before she joined the PTI in May 2017, was named the SAPM on information and broadcasting as part of a major cabinet reshuffle in April 2019, eight months after Prime Minister Imran took office.

Awan, along with her husband, was a staunch supporter of the PPP until party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari consolidated his control over the party.

She began her political career in 1990 with a focus on improving the healthcare system, and founded the Society for Health and Development and Exchange.

In 2002, she was elected to NA-286 on a reserved seat for women. In 2008, she successfully contested the NA-111 poll and was appointed the federal minister for population welfare. She later served as the information minister in the PPP government.

In 2013, she again contested the NA-111 poll but this time was unsuccessful. In 2015, she resigned as the PPP Punjab vice president before joining the PTI two years later.

Reactions
Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari congratulated Faraz on becoming the information minister, terming him “an old PTI member and a dignified man with gravitas”.

Referring to Faraz as an “honourable and dignified man”, Fawad Chaudhry on Twitter said the senator and the “brilliant” Bajwa will both make “a great team”.

Former Pakistan ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi in a tweet said the changes were a “good move by the government”.

Dawn

Rekated link: Nation

KARACHI: The newly-appointed provincial minister for Information & Archives and Labour, Saeed Ghani presided over on Wednesday his first meeting of the Information & Archives Department. Information secretary Imran Atta Soomro briefed Ghani about the functions of the department’s various directorates.

Addressing the meeting, the minister said that he wanted to facilitate the print and electronic media through the Information department. “I will also propose the Sindh government to consider issuing health cards to journalists,” he said. He added that steps should be taken to ensure fair distribution of government advertisements and other facilities being provided by the information department between the large and small publications.

Ghani discussed various ways to bring reforms in the Information department. The meeting also discussed at length the overall media strategy in order to timely inform the people about various reforms, legislations and developmental activities of the Sindh government.

The minister also expressed the desire to arrange professional training courses for further grooming of the officers. He said that capacity-building of the officers was an important part of the service as it enhanced their capabilities. “Officers should obtain leave if they feel that they are not able to deliver efficiently,” he said.

The Express Tribune

LAHORE: Zarrar Said, the author of latest international fictional thrill ‘Pureland’ and a master story–teller, emphasises that freedom of expression and speech are fundamental human rights and must be protected. No one can be hated because of his or her religion, sect and race, he viewed.

He expressed these views while talking to The News in an exclusive talk during the Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) at Alhamra Arts Council here on Sunday.

Zarrar Said, a Pakistani national, living in the USA, revealed that when he went abroad for study, he got familiar with the story of Dr Abdul Salam, who has great influence on the world, but unfortunately, he was not given deserving respect and worth in Pakistan. “By writing this novel I tried to tell the young generation to recognise their hero and his services. Such incident should not happen with another Abdul Salam, and that’s what I have conveyed through this book titled “Pureland”, he said.

History is witness to this hard fact that nations and countries progressed because of science. And, Salam was a world recognised, top of the line great scientist, unfortunately, he was not recognised in his own motherland where he was born and brought up. USA progressed because of science. Salam would have inspired a lot of people if he had been living in Pakistan, his own country. No society can flourish with hatred, Zarrar vehemently added. He said others are getting benefits from the achievements of this great man. However, Zarrar accepted the fact that hatred which has no boundaries and limitations is everywhere and in every country in one form or another. He added that hatred is prevailing in India and it is being spread even in USA too. About his novel ‘Pureland’ and Abdul Salam’s connection with it, Zarrar explained that Salam is the main character of his novel and it is purely fiction only. According to Zarrar, theme of the book is that a child is born in a village of Pakistan. He went abroad and got Nobel Prize. Because of patriotism he wants to come back home. Unfortunately, he could not come back to his motherland to serve it just because environment was not favorable for him.

Zarrar has already been nominated for the Prestigious Literary Award in Pakistan for this highly appreciated literary debut titled “Pureland”. According to many reviews, published in the internationally acknowledged newspapers and literary magazines in the West and USA, “Pureland” is already making a lot of waves in the international circles of the writers .Some of the reviews have stated that “Pureland” is dedicated to the late Dr Abdus Salam — “who loved a nation that never loved him back” — and the storyline as well as the blurb try to highlight this connection. It is Said’s attempt to grapple with the politics of Pakistan that makes this novel noticeable, apart from the fact that it signifies a promising first attempt. Zarrar Said is a New York-based finance professional who has just released his first book, “Pureland.”

Zarrar Said’s Pureland presents logical conclusion to that great act of collective and individual delusion. When Said’s novel begins, Pureland, obviously based on Pakistan, has been taken over by Caliphate. The narrator of the novel is (supposedly) a dreaded terrorist working for Caliphate, now under arrest for killing the scientific genius, Salim Agha. It is this terrorist/ assassin’s confession that provides us with the text of the novel.

“Pureland” is described as “a tour-de-force novel about a nation that has lost its way.” Task has been difficult for Said but he did not write this book for himself, it was a story that was waiting to be told. The magical realism in the story is visible throughout from the levitating saint to the witch-like mother. Said has even incorporated a love story amid the political aspects of the story between Agha and Laila Khan.

With “Pureland,” Said wanted to make sure his writing was relevant and easy to comprehend for the average reader because it has an important message for humanity. Moreover, ‘Pureland’ is a product of Zarrar’s profound desires to bring back the people to book reading.

“Cultures will suffer from prejudices that they keep. One example is Germany losing Einstein to anti-Semitism. MF Hussain spent the last years of his life in exile because of Hindu fundamentalists who wanted to slay him. In the same way, Pakistan lost out on Abdus Salam’s achievements,” Zarrar said and told a unique incident in which a European Professor, who is in Pakistan to teach Engineering at a local University, told me:“I am here from Abdus Slam Foundation, and I appreciate your dedicated feelings for the great man.” He added: “Salam is still giving back to his motherland even after death”.

At the end of the interview, Zarrar concluded the discussion with these words: “We cannot afford to be culturally monogamous, meaning we need multiple voices in our discourse in order to move forward”.

The News

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has issued a notice to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in response to a petition filed by the left-wing Awami Workers Party (AWP) against the blocking of its official website.

Chief Justice Athar Minallah admitted the petition for regular hearing following issuing arguments on its maintainability. The PTA has been asked to submit its response at the next hearing.

AWP’s website was blocked just ahead of the 2018 elections. The party has filed a complaint with the Election Commission (ECP) and the PTI, but the website continues to be blocked by most internet service providers (ISP) throughout the country.

AWP General Secretary Akhtar Hussain, through his counsel Mohammad Haider Imtiaz and Umer Ijaz Gilani, filed the petition in the IHC, making the PTA a respondent.

CJ admits AWP petition, asks PTA to submit response at next hearing

In addition to asking for its website to be unblocked, the party urged the court to direct the PTA to guard citizens’ fundamental rights in online spaces and exercise its powers to block content online strictly in accordance with the law.

The website was blocked in June 2018. The party claims it was blocked to sabotage their election campaign.

The petition contends that the blocking was the result of censorship against dissenting views, citing reports by the Digital Rights Foundation and the Observatory of Online Network Interference.

The party has approached various forums since, including the PTA, ECP and the relevant ISPs, but has not been granted any relief so far.

The AWP said it has filed a writ petition as a last resort while their website remains inaccessible. The petition places reliance on the 2018 IHC judgement against shutting down telecommunication networks.

In that judgement, then judge Athar Minallah had taken notice of the telecommunication network shutdowns carried out by the PTA.

Furthermore, it is mandatory for the PTA to give reasoned orders in relation to the blocking of online content, against which statutory remedies have also been provided by law.

According to the PTA’s 2018 Annual Report, which the petition cites, the authority has blocked 800,000 websites at present. In almost no case have the requirements of the aforementioned legal provisions been complied with, an AWP press release said.

AWP’s official website – awamiworkersparty.org – became inaccessible to many users in Pakistan, on various networks, last year. Visitors to the website were told the “website is not accessible” as it contained “content that is prohibited for viewership from within Pakistan”. The website is accessible outside the country.

The AWP said blocking the website of a legally registered political party violates the fundamental rights to association and expression, protected by the Constitution.

Dawn

ISLAMABAD: The interior ministry has identified five organisations involved in running a social media campaign against the visit of a VVIP’s delegation to Pakistan.

A communication has been sent by the ministry to all provincial chief secretaries, inspectors general of police, chairman of the Pakistan Tele­communi­cation Authority (PTA) and director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), directing them to track and sensitise these organisations to refrain from the negative propaganda against the delegation.

The organisations identified are Tameer-i-Watan, Imamia Students Organisa­tion Talibaat, Karachi, Imamia Students Organisa­tion, Peshawar, Tehre­ek-i-Hamayat-i-Mazlu­meen-i-Jahan-i-Pakistan and Shia Wahdat News.

According to the communication that kept doing the rounds on social media on Friday, most of the physical and digital activities were Karachi based. It reveals that so far 19 Facebook pages and 20 Twitter URLs have been processed for blocking. It asks the authorities concerned to immediately block the processed accounts.

The PTA and the cybercrime wing of the FIA have been asked to track the activists and block the accounts.

“Reportedly, to project a negative perception about the forthcoming high-profile visit of VVIP delegation to Pakistan, a targeted campaign is currently under way on social media maligning the VVIP delegation/ Pakistan Government for certain vested and nefarious interests/agenda,” the communication reads.

A senior official of the interior ministry, when contacted, refused to either confirm or deny the communication.

Dawn

ISLAMABAD – Federal Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has announced to launch a major crackdown against elements using social media to propagate extremist narrative.

Addressing the closing session of a training workshop for parliamentarians at the PIPS here on Wednesday, the minister said a mechanism to this effect has been prepared in consultations with the security agencies. He said several people have been arrested who were involved in misusing social media .

He regretted that certain elements through fake accounts were resorting to hate speeches and issuing edicts. He said these elements will be brought to book. Fawad said enforcement of relevant laws will be made to ensure rule of law.

The minister said, “We are also establishing Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority which will provide one window facility to all media outlets and ensure enforcement of related regulations.”

He said Pakistani nation had almost overcome the menace of terrorism and this was made possible by the resilience of the nation.

The minister said Pakistan had given immense sacrifices in the war on terror. “In the next phase we will further consolidate the gains made against terrorism by not allowing those resorting to hate speeches.”

He said, “The incumbent government strongly believes in rule of law in Pakistan and it will not allow anyone to misuse the social media . World is facing serious challenge of extremism. Dialogue is the only solution to resolve the issues relating to extremism and terrorism.”

Fawad Hussain said Pakistan, which used to be a tolerant nation, was trapped in an irregular and prolonged conflict in the neighborhood in 1980, which eventually flourished the scourge of terrorism and extremism.

Addressing closing ceremony of two-day workshop on “ Strategic Communication and Media Engagement in Crisis Situation,” he said Pakistan was a resilient nation which rendered monumental sacrifices against terrorism and extremism and successfully overcome the menace.

The minister said that Islam was spread through Sufism in the sub-continent and not through the sword which was itself manifestation of the fact that there was no concept of extremism and terrorism. The history of endurance and tolerance of the people of the sub-continent, especially the Indus civilization, was very old, he remarked.

He said presently the entire world was facing a serious challenge of extremism and Pakistan also remained its victim. In India, extremism did increase after Modi government came to power while various other communities of the world have also suffered from extremism in some way, he added.

He said implementation on rules was responsibility of the state and Imran Khan’s government was fully committed to ensure enforcement of law from the first day and no one will be allowed to promote hatred in the country.

Fawad Hussain said the government had largely overcome the hate speech on formal media, thanks to the cooperation of media houses

He said that recently some arrests were made for promoting hate speech against the national institutions on social media .

He said extremism only breeds terrorism, and dialogue and discussion can solve problems. Freedom of expression was a fundamental right but not without restrictions under the law of the land, he added.

Fawad appreciated the PPC for organising the workshop on extremism which was currently a global problem.

The Nation

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The News: Pakistan announces crackdown on social media misuse

Karachi, Feb 8:  For better investigative stories it is necessary for reporters to gather important data from related departments using the laws of right to information, said PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali.

Speaking to the participants of a training workshop on use of RTI Act, he said these laws have ensured more transparency and accuracy in reporting on issues related to public interest.

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) and Centre of Peace and Development Initiative (CPDI) in collaboration with Coalition on Right to Information (CRTI) conducted a training workshop on the use of Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Act 2016 for investigative reporting.

It was aimed at to enable midcareer journalists to improve their reporting techniques and promote investigative journalism by using the Right to Information legislation.

It was conducted by Moonus Zehra, project coordinator of CPDI in Pakistan Press Foundation Hall on 7^th February in Karachi.

PPF selected 17 reporters from different media channels for training regarding investigation journalism under peoples’ right to information using records held by public bodies to ensure maximum transparency.

They were told that RTI is aimed at to promote transparency, accountability and good governance in government departments and to ensure informed public participation in decision-making process.

The participants discussed all five RTI laws of Pakistan including The Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Bill, 2016, The Punjab Transparency and RTI Act 2013, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Act 2013, Baluchistan Freedom of Information Act 2005 and Right of access to information act, 2017.  They were told that record and information kept in government departments is asset of public. Public officials just keep this information as custodians.

At the end of the workshop, PPF Secretary General Owais Aslam Ali urged the participants to use the RTI law for collecting data from different sources. He encouraged them to use online advanced methods to grab information and ensuring follow-ups of their stories.

The participants were also given certification on completion of training.

Earlier, CPDI and PPF held a press conference in this regard at Karachi Press Club (KPC).

Owais Aslam Ali Secretary General PPF said there should be an awareness program for journalists to use RTI in a proper manner as in this digital age the implementation of RTI is an important tool for journalists.

He said in past it was difficult to get even public information, but we now have an information overload, with huge volumes of information available a click away.

He said RTI is a good way to get authentic information for news stories.

Rights activist Gulalai Ismail was released by Islamabad police late Wednesday, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat told DawnNewsTV.

However, according to the senior official, 17 of the 25 Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) workers arrested a day earlier along with Gulalai for holding a protest demonstration outside the National Press Club were sent to Adiala jail after the completion of a verification process by police.

The official said that the workers were sent to jail under Section 3 (1) of the West Pakistan Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) of 1960.

Under the order, the 17 will remain jailed for a period of 15 days.

Gulalai, meanwhile, was released by Islamabad police, DC Shafqaat confirmed.

Earlier in the day, Gulalai’s father, Professor Muhammad Ismail, told Dawn.com that his daughter had been arrested on Tuesday.

According to Professor Ismail, the activist was picked up from outside the National Press Club in Islamabad while she took part in a protest against the controversial death of PTM leader Arman Loni in Balochistan on Saturday.

Police had initially shifted Gulalai to the G9 Women’s Police Station, Ismail told Dawn.com.

According to Gulalai’s father, she was shifted to an unknown location a few hours after the arrest.

“We are trying to trace her whereabouts but the police is not ready to share Gulalai’s location,” he had said, adding that so far no First Information Report (FIR) of the arrest had been registered at the time.

In October last year, Gulalai had been detained by airport officials in Islamabad following her return from London. She was later released on bail but her passport was withheld by airport officials.

The detention had been in connection with an FIR that Swabi police had registered on Aug 13, 2018 against 19 PTM leaders, including Gulalai, for their involvement in a public gathering in Swabi where PTM’s Manzoor Pashteen and Gulalai both addressed the crowd.

PTM is a rights-based alliance that, besides calling for the de-mining of the former tribal areas and greater freedom of movement in the latter, has insisted on an end to the practices of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and unlawful detentions, and for their practitioners to be held to account within a truth and reconciliation framework.

Gulalai, a Pashtun and women’s rights activist, was in 2017 awarded the ‘Reach all Women in War’ Anna Politovskaya Award.

She co-founded a non-governmental organisation, Aware Girls, with sister Saba Ismail in 2002. The organisation aims to strengthen the leadership skills of young people, especially women and girls, enabling them to act as agents of change for women empowerment and peace building.

‘Immediate and unconditional’ release

In a statement shared on Twitter, Amnesty International South Asia called on Pakistani authorities to “immediately and unconditionally” release PTM protesters.

The rights group called on Pakistani authorities to “disclose the whereabouts” of Ismail who they said, “may have been subjected to an enforced disappearance”.

Dawn

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Karachi – Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday called for ‘empowerment of Parliament’ to reverse the ‘erosion of power’ of this supreme constitutional pillar of the state.

“Parliamentary activism is needed in the presence of judicial activism,” he said, asserting that this prime democratic institution was under attack for quite some time.

“When other institutions of the country could empower them then why not the parliament?” he asked, during his maiden visit to Karachi Press Club along with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and others.

The PPP chairman lavished praise on media and invited it to join hands with them in the cause of strengthening the parliament.

He offered his party’s support in media’s struggle for ‘freedom of expression’ – quite apparently as a favour in exchange, though he did not say so explicitly.

The bait appears to be quite enticing giving that the media, particularly its associated interest groups, are facing a major threat to their power as the PTI-led government is seeking to clip the wings through a new and more powerful all-encompassing media regulator.

At the Karachi Press Club Bilawal and his companions were welcomed by the newly elected governing body of the club and its president.

The PPP leader handed over a cheque of Rs15 million to the club office bearers on behalf of the Sindh government and he was given a lifetime membership certificate of the club.

Addressing meet-the-press event, Bilawal said that only peoples’ representatives should have the right to decide for masses and they would not allow anyone to degrade the parliament.

Since last one year the parliament has left many gaps for others to fill in and therefore it was needed the issue is debated on the floor for empowerment of the parliament, he said.

“The lawmakers and the democratic forces have to decide now that none other than the parliament will decide the matters relating to the country,” he said, and added that the incumbent prime minister needs to understand this the most.

Reiterating his commitment to the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the PPP leader said that the amendment is under attack from all sides but his party would not bow down to the attackers and if needed, would come out on roads and take out a long march for its safeguard.

“The 18th amendment was approved after consultation of all political stakeholders and covered all fault lines of the country,” he said. They would go to every extent and take every route to safeguard it despite the adverse remarks from some federal ministers, he added.

Highlighting the provincial government’s efforts for improving conditions at Sindh health institutions including NICVD, he said they would go in review over apex court decision of the handover of these institutions to federal government.

Raising questions over court orders about the provincial autonomy, he asked as to why the apex court termed law and order responsibility of the provincial government in a short order but later changed the position by declaring it a federal subject in the detailed order. He called for unveiling reasons behind such ambiguous and suspicious court decisions.

Applauding the role of press clubs in strengthening of democracy in the country, Bilawal said that Karachi Press Club has a leading role in this process and no democratic movement would have succeeded in absence of these platforms.

He announced to make press clubs epicentre of his politics and said he would visit all press clubs across the country to expedite the ‘movement for freedom of speech’.

He however said that his party would welcome criticism from the media on different issues as it would strengthen them.

“Benazir Bhutto [always] welcomed the media criticism and we will also appreciate media if it highlights as to how our chief minister and other government functionaries could improve their performance,” he said.

Terming Imran Khan as selected prime minister once again, Bilawal said that the PTI government can succeed if it works for the betterment of masses. Even the opposition cannot oppose any legislation meant for the betterment of the masses, he added.

Terming government attitude over economy non-serious, he said that the incumbent government despite having over 200 economy experts have taken u-turns and presented third mini-budget. “What is reason of presenting third mini budget and then running away from debate on it on the floor of the house,” he asked.

The PPP leader said that even this new finance bill has failed to resolve issues faced by the poor of the country and it was only aimed at benefitting the elite and the rich. “It has only given relief to Aleema Khan and Jahangir Tareen while the farmers, labourers and youth have nothing for them in it,” he said.

Speaking on anti-encroachment drive in the Karachi, Bilawal said that they would go into review over the apex court decision and would work on future master plan of the city rather than implementing 1950’s master plan. “We need time to either resettle the people concerned or regularise their encroachments,” he said.

Responding to a query over missing persons, the PPP chairman said that such incidents should be stopped and all those gone missing should be recovered.

He also supported the Afghan led and Afghan owned solution of Afghanistan but opposed to accept any such force that does not accept the constitution and status of Pakistan.

To a query about his marriage, Bilawal in a lighter mode said that meetings were underway for the purpose and it would be determined whether the marriage would be helpful in election process.

“Consultations are underway whether to carry out four marriages, one in each province, and their likely impact on polls,” he said.

The Nation

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The Nation: Zardari offers media ‘back-scratch’ programme

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) government in the centre recently approved the formation of a new regulatory body, known as the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA). From now, all media, including print, electronic and social, will be simultaneously regulated by this newly established body.

Organisations such as the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), and the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) have already disapproved of the formation of the PMRA and have cautioned against it, terming it an attack on the freedom of press and expression. The PFUJ categorically rejected the PMRA and termed it equivalent to the Press and Publication Ordinance (PPO), the draconian law introduced by Ayub Khan in 1962 to curb the media.

On the other hand, the federal government suggests it wants to end the monopoly of a few influential organisations on the media and wants one body to keep a check on all media so that information (and the truth) cannot be distorted. Thus, the ratings of electronic media will also be calculated by the PMRA.

This move comes at a time when not only journalists but both print and electronic media are facing invisible curbs and financial turmoil. In light of this, the PMRA seems yet another effort to silence digital and social media the way mainstream media is being limited. After all, over the past several months, journalism in Pakistan has faced a severe crisis, with hundreds laid off and many famous journalists either being let go or facing the issue of self-censorship. Under these circumstances, the move to further regulate the media only raises more suspicions about the authoritarian nature of the PTI government.

An unconstitutional and dictatorial move

Bringing all media under one umbrella does not seem like a constitutional move, for not only does the 18^th Amendment bring press-related laws under the ambit of the provincial governments, this also reduces the effectiveness of Article 19 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of the press. Additionally, nowhere in the world do we see instances of print and digital publications being brought under the same domain that monitors electronic media. In the presence of a code of ethics and self-regulatory laws such as the Press Council Ordinance for print media and the Cybercrime Act for digital media, establishing the PMRA can only be termed an unnecessary new tool created to limit freedom of the press.

This also includes the proposition that licenses will require renewal every year, which means that publications may self-censor or not report against the status quo in fear of their licenses being cancelled. After all, constituting a body to regulate all media without taking the respective stakeholders into the loop clearly indicates we are moving towards the eras of Ziaul Haq and Ayub, when the state had complete control over the press.

A history of media suppression

Pakistan’s media has been facing curbs since the creation of Pakistan. In 1948, two months after the death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Public Safety Ordinance was promulgated which resulted in the closure of dozens of newspapers. Then the PPO was brought in, which allowed Ayub to ban news agencies and arrest dissenting journalists. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was no different, and his ‘democratic’ government also saw the closure of newspapers and the arrests of journalists.

However, it was Zia’s regime that can be termed the lowest period for Pakistan’s journalists, for not only did Zia enforce a more conservative and far-right mindset, he also brought the Revised Press and Publication Ordinance (RPPO), which included draconian amendments to the PPO. This was used to prosecute publishers for going with a narrative that did not fall in line with his regime. Even in the 90s, when Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were in power, laws were used to restrict and exploit the press in order to gain vested political interests.

It was mainly during the era of General Pervez Musharraf in 2002, when the Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (PEMRA) was formed and private TV and radio channels were given licenses, that a form of dissent and press freedom was finally an option in Pakistan. Under this era, both electronic and print media flourished until the government began to work to rein it back in.

The rise of digital media also paved the way for a more pluralistic society and gave the masses another option to raise their voices, which remained unheard on mainstream media. The media in Pakistan has never been free, and it has always paid the price for whatever freedom it enjoys. During all our darkest periods of dictatorships and elected authoritarians, there were always some journalists and papers who fulfilled their obligations and presented the facts, and also suffered the consequences of doing so.

Now that we are once again witnessing state control over mass media, it is easy to see why most people are concerned, given our controversial past. After all, it is an old trick to try and control the media by hurting it financially and then gradually adding shackles in the name of regulation, national interest, ethical journalism and so on.

Questions for the PTI government

The question has to be asked: why did the PTI government not show any hate for the media while it was in the opposition? Why did it then not complain about ethical or factual journalism? Why did it not propose any legislation in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) assembly – where it was in power – to abolish the advertisement rates for print and electronic media in order to save the national exchequer money? Most importantly, why is the PTI trying to restrict the media now, when the same media is partially behind its gradual rise to power?

Perhaps the government and other institutions need to understand the simple fact that it is not possible to restrict information in today’s age, and doing so only leads to more dissent, as witnessed during the Arab Spring.

Had the PTI wanted to regulate the media for the sake of better journalism, then it would have consulted the respective stakeholders first. Since it has not done so, this move to fully control the media through the PMRA will not serve its intended purpose and will only be remembered as yet another unsuccessful move to snatch the freedom of expression guaranteed to us by our Constitution.

The PTI government, which is currently hiding behind the shield of national interest, saving money and highlighting the negativity of the press, needs to be reminded of the saying by Robert Ebert:

“When, in a free society, the press is criticised for negativity, that almost always simply means it has dared to question the policies of the party in power.”

The Express Tribune

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The Express Tribune: Dictatorial approach to media regulation