New regulatory authority to replace PEMRA, Press Council

ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday announced a new, unified regulatory authority is being established to replace the existing Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and Press Council of Pakistan.

“[The PTI government] has decided [to do away] with PEMRA and Press Council and form a single, unified authority to oversee print as well as electronic and cyber media,” Chaudhry told reporters during media interaction outside Parliament House.

The new regulator, named Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority, will comprise top officials and representatives from the media industry, the info minister informed.

He said the measure would help save national resources as the new regulatory body would look after electronic, print and social media simultaneously.

Speaking about state television, Chaudhry reiterated that his ministry has ended censorship of state media and the state television channel will broadcast whatever happens in the Parliament.

He said the public’s money will not be used by the government for personal advertisements. Slamming the rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, he said, “PML-N government sustained itself through advertisements.”

Criticising Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s bid for presidential election, Chaudhry said everyone can see how serious Maulana Fazl is for presidency.

“For Maulana Fazl, the Parliament is ‘bogus’ and the votes are ‘fake’, but he wants to become president by obtaining votes from this same Parliament,” the minister remarked.