Fawad Chaudhry, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, announced on Monday (23 August) that the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) would be authorized to levy fines of up to Rs250 million on television broadcasters, up from the current maximum limit of Rs1 million under existing regulations.
Fawad claimed that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) was a wealthy organization in this area in interactions with digital broadcasters, but has sadly spent little money on training journalists, research, and digital media ever since they came together.
Furthermore, Fawad stated that there are now various regulations governing the media in Pakistan, which include:
- Social media is dealt by the PTA.
- Press is managed by the Press Council.
- Electronic media is dealt by the PEMRA.
- Labor regulations are looked after by the Implementation Tribunal for Newspapers Employees (ITNE).
- Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) deals with newspaper registrations.
Fawad emphasized that all laws were being repealed to replace them with a single authority known as the PMDA. The minister stated that the new law does not include any provision for criminal culpability, but it does have the jurisdiction to levy fines of up to Rs250 million.
Fawad said that the “Board of Films Censor” will be established in the place of the censor board, which will be dissolved into the entity. A media committee has also been established, with four members from the government and four from media organizations, and it will be led by a chairperson.
Additionally, Fawad added that all the powers will reside with the commission to appoint people in the proposed complaint committee and media tribunal. He stated that the media tribunal would be able to hear complaints from media workers, and he added that while many owners are opposed to the formation of media tribunals, the government will proceed with its plan.
Chaudhry said the PMDA built a new wing for the growth of journalists’ capacity-building, which was a necessity of the hour. He stated media judgments would be final and could only be disputed in Pakistan’s Supreme Court.
The minister stated that in the future, digital media would shape Pakistan’s media landscape. However, this does not imply that formal media will disappear; rather, communication platforms will evolve.
