Bill to remove media curbs tabled in National Assembly

Islamabad: Pakistan's new government tabled a Bill in the National Assembly here yesterday to scrap the media curbs enforced by President Pervez Musharraf in November last year under the emergency rule.

The Bill, the first by the coalition government led by assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was moved by Information Minister Sherry Rehman.

It seeks to revoke what the minister called the "draconian" restrictions Musharraf introduced through amendments to a 2002 regulatory ordinance for the electronic media.

Besides increasing the fine from Rs1 million (Dh58,310) to Rs10 million, the amendments had provided for the seizure of equipment of an erring broadcasting station, sealing of its premises, closure of transmission and cancellation of licence. Live coverage of violence and conflict was banned.

Rehman said the Bill would revoke the amendments that were made to strangulate the media as the television channels were presenting the real picture of the regime's mismanagement and failure.

Some private news channels were taken off the air for several weeks under the state of emergency that Musharraf imposed on November 3 and then lifted on December 15.

Resolve

Rehman said Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, in his first policy statement after his election last month, had expressed the resolve to dismantle the curbs.

She recalled that the civil society, lawyers, political parties and human rights organisations had opposed the restrictions.

"The regime, least bothered by the public wrath and demonstrations continued its anti-media tactics and policies till it was voted out by the people on February 18 in general elections," the minister said.

Rehman said the democratic government was getting rid of the despotic policies of the previous regime and facilitating the flow of information through an independent and free media.

She said this however "lays a great responsibility on our media persons, TV channels, the broadcasters, the anchor persons and the cable operators to show a real maturity in their dispatches and broadcasts".

The Bill was referred to a committee of the National Assembly for consideration after which it would be debated and put to vote.