ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, while discussing the Protection of Journalists Bill 2014, suggested that media owners should attend meetings to address the issue.

The committee has decided to form a subcommittee, in order to discuss the matter further and will report within 30 days.

The meeting was presided over by Pir Mohammad Aslam Bodla. Senator Mushahidullah Khan, who has been chairing a Senate subcommittee on the Journalists Protection and Welfare Bill, also participated.

Acting information secretary Saba Moshin Raza said the bill is being reviewed, and some responsibilities will be given to media owners.

According to Senator Khan, media owners and their representative bodies have not participated in the Senate subcommittee meetings, which have been attended by representatives from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ).

“[Although the] government is willing to ensure the safety of journalists, I believe media owners can take most of the steps for journalists’ safety,” he said. He added that an effective law cannot be made without the input of media owners.

Dr Mohammad Azhar Jadoon asked how it was possible that the standing committee had called on someone and been ignored.

Senator Khan said an ex parte decision could be made, but he wanted input from all the stakeholders in order to make the bill comprehensive.

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) chief Absar Alam informed the meeting that there is a committee of editors and owners on journalists’ safety, and suggested that the committee be invited to the standing committee.

While discussing the non-payment of salaries to BOL TV employees, the Pemra chairperson astonished committee members and the press when he claimed that BOL TV was not launched because of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) The matter was raised by Senator Mushahidullah Khan, who said that more than 2,000 employees had not been paid their salaries, and suggested that one of the company accounts should be unfrozen to pay employees’ wages.

However, BOL TV representatives seemed more interested in approval for the launch of the television channel. BOL TV representative Nazir Leghari said the channel was suspended unnecessarily.

“We had a licence, but the Ministry of Information wrote a letter to the cable operators instructing them not to show the transmission. The Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) feared that other channels would be closed if BOL was launched,” he said.

He said the Pemra chairperson can withdraw the suspension, as the chairperson can suspend the licence and the office of the chairperson was vacant when the BOL TV licence was suspended.

Absar Alam said the matter of salaries was raised during before a Senate Standing Committee on Tuesday, after which someone from BOL TV tweeted against Pemra.

“Although the tweet can be from a fake account, I was hurt. I have been raising the issue of BOL TV and I have sent two letters to the Ministry of Interior, but so far I have not received any answer. I am working beyond my mandate to address the issue,” he said.

Mr Absar said the interior ministry, on Mar 25 2013, sent Pemra a no objection certificate for the channel. “However, on Apr 9 2013, ISI sent a letter that it had not given clearance to the channel. If clearance is given today, I will issue the licence for the channel in the next meeting,” he said.

A meeting with a one point agenda, on BOL TV, will be held next week.

Dawn

ISLAMABAD – Journalists in yesterday’s National Assembly session staged a walkout from the proceedings to protest the Rangers’ unwarranted raid at the house of Salman Masood, the Resident Editor of daily The Nation.

Dozens of journalists boycotted the coverage of the lower house proceedings and termed the incident an attempt to harass the media persons.

The protesting journalists left the house in the middle of the National Assembly’s proceedings, demanding serious inquiry into the incident, as Rangers raided and searched Salman Masood’s house without any warrants.

Minister Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Pirzada and State Minister for Interior Baligh-ur-Rahman met the parliamentary reporters outside the press gallery and ensured to raise their concern in the house. Talking to journalists, State Minister for Interior Baligh-ur-Rahman said that the report of incident would be sought. “We (government) assure you to look into this matter seriously,” he added.

The journalists called for proper inquiry of the incident as security personnel caused mental stress for Masood and his family and remained at the place for more than half an hour.

Taking the floor, Minister Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Pirzada said the government would see the matter of search operation by rangers at the resident editor’s house.

The Nation

ISLAMABAD: At least two opposition parties believe that the government, through the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), is trying to gag mainstream media, saying that it is the violation of the constitution which enshrines freedom of expression as one of the basic rights.

They have urged the government to refrain from taking such measures because it will only strengthen non-democratic forces in the country.

The government replied that it was only following the constitution.

Speaking at a point of order in the National Assembly on Friday, Shafqat Mehmood of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) said that certain recent developments had clearly suggested that the newly appointed Pemra chief (Absar Alam) had been brought to control the private media.

“I am unable to understand how come Pemra can direct the media to be careful while covering the Iran-Saudi Arabia tension. Since it is a burning issue for parliament as well as for the nation, the media will certainly cover its various angles,” said Mr Mehmood.

Referring to another recent incident in which, according to the PTI lawmaker, a TV anchorperson has been slapped with a fine of Rs100,000, he said it was a dangerous trend which required to be checked at the outset. Mr Mehmood said: “Has the government decided to use this new method to put curbs on freedom of expression.”

The PTI legislator from Lahore said he and his party were opposed to this practice and sought a detailed explanation from the government as if it was being done as part of a deliberate plan.

A day before (on Thursday) Dr Nafisa Shah of the PPP, in her speech had also denounced latest actions taken by Pemra against a TV anchorperson. She said the government should refrain from such practice because it would only bring bad name to the ruling party and the country.

Talal Chaudhry, a PML-N legislator from Faisalabad whose job is to respond to criticism aimed at the government, took responsibility on behalf of the treasury benches to address concerns raised by Mr Mehmood. However, he said, whatever had been narrated by the PTI legislator made no sense.

Defending the Pemra’s directive regarding the coverage of Riyadh-Tehran confrontation, the ruling party’s MNA said it was in line with the constitution and that the regulatory authority was only discharging its duty.

He said: “Constitution categorically underlines that media must be careful while commenting about Pakistan’s relations with friendly countries.”

Clarifying the issue of imposition of a fine on a TV anchorperson, Talal Chaudhry said it wasn’t one person but a TV channel which had been penalised for not installing time delaying device in its live coverage.

Pemra on Wednesday issued a special directive to all TV channels to show caution while discussing the tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The authority said that sect-based discussion was not permitted even under the National Action Plan.

In their speeches, Dr Arif Alvi of PTI and Shazia Marri of PPP criticised the government for mishandling the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

Dr Alvi said nobody was against development in Punjab, but it was unjustified to use the whole project for the benefit of one province.

Ms Marri said small provinces were increasingly becoming sceptical about the handling of the project by the federal government.

The two lawmakers also criticised the government for not calling a meeting of the Council of Common Interests, saying that it was a violation of the constitution

Speaking on a point of order, Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Owais Leghari informed the house that on Tuesday the committee would receive in-camera briefing about the tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

“The adviser on foreign affairs will brief the committee, which has representation of all political parties present in the house, on Pathankot attack and Riaydh-Tehran tension,” said Mr Leghari. He was responding to queries raised by opposition benches.

Dawn

On 17 September, 2015 Pakistan Standing Committee of National Assembly on Information Technology second time hurriedly cleared the draft of the controversial “Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill 2015” and sent it to the National Assembly for final approval despite widespread criticism by freedom of expression and civic liberties groups.

According to the draft bill, it is considered a crime to take a picture in a public place, capturing someone in the background without their consent. Children above 12 and fewer than 18 years can also be booked for such crimes even if they did it unintentionally or accidentally.

Opposition political parties and NGOs believe the proposed bill was too harsh and curbed human rights besides giving wide powers to law enforcement agencies. Representatives from the industry argued that the bill would harm their businesses.

Under the draft bill sending text messages without the permission of the receiver fall in criminalized activity or commenting against government on social media would be punishable with fines or imprisonment. The bill gives the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) the powers to block objectionable content and websites.

Member of National Assembly, Shazia Marri argued to change some clauses as draft bill that seemed to curb freedom of speech. Marri maintained that access to information was a fundamental right and its responsibility rested with the state. `Giving powers to an authority to block access to information is not just” she said.

Pakistan Press Foundation

Secretary Information Mohammad Azam informed the meeting that the ministry was planning to work on a proposal to allocate Rs200 million for the families of the journalists who received injuries or were killed in the line of duty.

“The government has not paid a single penny to the families of the journalists who were killed or injured while performing their duties,” the secretary said in reply to a question by Ms Memon. The members expressed concerns over the role of the ministry which they said had failed to compensate the families of the victims.

Mr Azam said the government had already abolished the secret fund which was also used to support the journalists’ community to overcome their health-related issues in the past.

Secretary information says no compensation has been paid so far to families of mediapersons

“We have a proposal for the allocation of funds in this regard and have already discussed it with the government’s financial adviser to process in this regard,” he added.

Ms Memon directed the officials to finalise the proposals as soon as possible, adding the committee would fully support the proposals.

On Monday, the secretary had also informed the Senate standing committee on information and broadcasting that the ministry had already forward a summary to the ministry of finance to allocate Rs200 million for this purpose.

The secretary told the NA committee that the ministry was also planning to arrange workshops for journalists working in conflict zones.

“We have allocated Rs100 million for the training of journalists covering development activities. The mediapersons will be trained on the standards of economic reporting,” he added. Ms Memon later said a separate meeting would be convened to discuss issues related to the rating system of private TV channels.

The committee directed the ministry to improve the quality of press releases being issued by the Press Information Department (PID) and its regional offices.

It also recommended deputing more cameramen/reporters on the foreign visits of the prime minister.

Iqbal Khattak, a Peshawar-based senior journalist and media safety expert, told Dawn that nine mediapersons and four assistants attached with different media organisations lost their lives so far in the current year.

“It is unfortunate that the government has failed to allocate funds at the federal level for the families of the journalists who were killed in the line of duty.”

He said the government provided financial support to the families of the police and military personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty.

“The government is not serious in punishing the killers of the journalists. The culprits target journalists due to the slim chances of being convicted and punished,” he said.

Mr Khattak demanded the government establish a special public prosecutor to investigate and proceed against the attackers on journalists across the country.

DAWN

Why is absence of YouTube such a big deal; some people ask. Well, YouTube is the world’s most-diverse and vast marketplace of free video content. In fact, YouTube is the Google of audiovisual content, with its dynamic interface entertaining and educating global citizens.

If YouTube is so important but inaccessible, why not use proxies; others suggest. Well, the countless virus-infested proxies do not come close to the original streaming experience. Other video-hosting sites simply do not have the features, usage-base, and most-importantly, the content and ecosystem that YouTube has. It’s just not the same.

Government does not want to restore YouTube-–it seems that way. That’s essentially a decision. But the government must also recognise the consequences as well. And there are many.

The government’s Vision 2025 talks about making Pakistan a Knowledge Economy by 2025. Lots of enablers, both offline and online, would be needed for that.

A continuous YouTube ban will deprive Pakistan’s large illiterate and semi-literate populations–who are gradually gaining broadband access-–of the immense and free audiovisual learning (e.g. ‘how to’ video tutorials) on a variety of subjects and fields.

The ban is also a setback for academics, artists, and small businesses that relied on this platform for a wider audience. Home-based entrepreneurs are now devoid of a low-cost advertising/promotion avenue. The ban is a bane for creativity and field-convergence. Aspiring musicians can no more upload their covers or originals; dramatists and directors suffer the same fate; no more videos going viral.

YouTube is a formidable, opens-source platform for creating and sharing both local and localised video content. Pakistan’s mobile broadband segment-–which is currently in nascence following the 3G/4G license award in May 2014-–could be helped by imaginative, user-friendly, and solution-centric local content. The jury is out on the data adoption rates in the initial phase, but a prolonged YouTube ban is surely adoption-negative.

Video streaming is universally popular and thus eats up a major slice of global data consumption pie. And YouTube is the foremost video streaming platform available. Mobile broadband adoption rates in Pakistan can be faster if YouTube is around. While the 3G operators may save on their bandwidth costs (video being a bandwidth-guzzler), their business case may suffer in the long run.

List of negatives is long. The ban has also exposed a deep fissure in Pakistani society. When it comes to freedom of expression, it seems that some expressions are more equal than others. Government’s response to YouTube-sparked religious outrage in September 2012 was to ban the platform altogether.

In the aftermath, lives of sections of population (big or small is not the issue here) continue to suffer in a variety of ways, artistic and academic, cultural and commercial, personal and professional.

The appeasement is discomforting. Shouldn’t there be fairness and balance here? Shouldn’t the government move quickly to find that balance? Are some sentiments more equal than others?

It has been almost five month since the National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to restore YouTube.

There has been no word from the government since, other than the committee-committee refrain. Parliament represents people’s collective wisdom, but where is its legislative writ; some wonder. One finds hard to answer that these days…

Business Recorder

He proposed to the NA Speaker to refer the issue to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Information so that it could draft a policy for the protection of journalists and the issue of closure of Geo News could be settled with the help of parliament.

He said the government would take all possible measures for the protection of journalists and those involved in the attacks would be brought to justice.Responding to the request of Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid for referring the issue to the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Information, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said he would consult the Senate chairman so as to refer it to the joint committee of the National Assembly and Senate on Information to review the issue comprehensively and settle it amicably.

Speaking in the House, Senator Farhatullah Babar also raised the issue of closure of Geo News, saying that despite paying the heavy penalty and suspension, it was unjust that Geo News was still not open.

He proposed that this issue be referred to the joint committee of both the houses of parliament to look into why the channel was still closed despite paying heavy penalties and tendering an apology.

Senator Babar Ghauri of the MQM also raised his voice in support of Geo News, saying Geo News was still facing suspension despite paying heavy penalties. “Geo News also tendered an apology but the channel is still facing closure,” he added.

He said Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid should also take notice of the Geo News closure and resolve it as soon as possible. “Owing to the Geo News closure, 5,000 workers will lose their jobs which are in fact 5,000 families that would face hardships, so we appeal to the government to settle this issue immediately,” he added.

Earlier, journalists staged a walkout from the Press Gallery during the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament to register their protest against the repeated attacks on the office of Geo News in Islamabad.

On the intervention of the Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid, the reporters ended their protest and came back to their seats to cover the proceedings. On the occasion, Pervaiz Rashid said last night when the Geo News office was attacked, he was attending the programme of its senior anchor Salim Safi. He said the country was confronted with a new trend of hooliganism where anybody who disagreed with anything got attacked.

Rashid, however, said that it was not weakness of the government yet it might be termed ‘our negligence’. But, he added, it was beyond doubt that ‘we stand with the media’.He said the time has come to cancel the licences of some of the cable operators. He said Pemra ought to discharge its duty. Geo, he said, has implemented the law by paying the fine and facing the punishment.

The minister said action would be taken against all those involved in the attack on PTV and other channels. He said if someone took the law into his hands, action would be taken against him.

Pervaiz Rashid said cable operators were bound by an agreement to show channels of choice of the people. He said Pemra would cancel the licences of those cable operators who had violated the agreement.

The News

It was decided during the 9th meeting of the committee, which was held in the Parliament House under the chair of committee Chairperson MNA Marvi Memon.

Under the ToRs, the task force would identify the needs, if any, for amendments, changes, etc in sections of media laws, rules, regulations including “definitions” and substantive provisions so as to accurately reflect contemporary realities and factors such as new technologies, and to propose specific amendments to existing laws, rules and regulations for consideration by the respective legislatures.

The task force would also draft the texts for new laws, rules and regulations in the light of contemporary conditions and emerging trends, and with reference to the recommendations of the media commission as unanimously endorsed by the national assembly standing committee on information, broadcasting and national heritage in its meeting on 16th April 2014.

The task force would also develop a monitoring framework for committee reference to have an oversight on the implementation of the existing and the amended laws rules regulations. The committee also empowered task force to add any other TORs after deliberations of the members of the task force with the approval of the committee.

The members of task force included leading lawyer of the country Babar Sattar, Barrister Salman Afridi, Rizwan Ejaz, Nawazish Peerzada, Faisal Siddiqi, Ayub Baloch, Yasmeen Aftab Ali and Aafia Salam. One member would be included later.

The committee also discussed recommendations on code of conduct of Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (PEMRA). The acting director general of Pakistan National Council of Arts also gave a presentation on Pakistan Culture and Arts Foundation Relief Fund to the members of committee. The committee was satisfied with the presentation and briefing of the acting DG and directed secretary information to appoint a permanent DG of the council. The secretary assured the committee to appoint a permanent DG by the first of July.

The standing committee on information, broadcasting and heritage also reviewed the subcommittee on right to information’s recommendations on right to information bill. The members appreciated the work done by subcommittee and decided that its notes would be included in final report. The committee also proposed 14 amendments/recommendation to be included in government bill to make it a better law.

The committee decided to review the report of subcommittee headed by MNA Arifa Khalid Pervaiz regarding recommendations on code of conduct of PEMRA and further information on the authority in the next committee meeting.

The Nation

A statement issued by CRCP secretary general Mian Abrar Hafeez praised the committee and the information ministry for including almost all proposals presented by the commission during a recent roundtable discussion on the Federal Right to Information (RTI) Bill and the role of ombudsmen.

Keeping in view the poor state of governance, transparency and accountability, all provinces should take steps to enact effective RTI laws.

He said Sindh and Balochistan should follow the precedent set by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and now the centre by amending old and ineffective laws.

Mian Abrar said the right to information law was a strong tool to improve governance, eradicate corruption and enhance transparency and accountability.

Proper implementation of RTI laws could help free flow of information and facilitate citizens’ meaningful involvement in decision-making, he said. He urged civil society and the media to join hands to make the RTI regime successful.

DAWN

The draft of the bill bearing signatures of JI MNAs Sahibzada Tariqullah, Sahibzada Muhammad Yaqoob, Sher Akbar and Ayesha Syed is aimed at providing protection to lives of journalists in field, workplaces and at their residences.

The bill says that there is need for a proper legislation for solution of problems being faced by the journalist community.According to the bill, the government would also be responsible for arranging special security to journalists on their request. It says that concerned station house officer (SHO) would ensure provision of security to media persons and would be held responsible for any harm to the journalists.

The bill also provides for establishment of ‘National Journalists Council’ which would give recommendations from time to time for devising a mechanism for protection of the journalist community and their families.

The News