May 31, 2021
The Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) is alarmed by and concerned about the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority Ordinance (2021) proposed by the Government of Pakistan, that seeks to centralize all media regulatory structures in Pakistan and create a ‘converged’ regulatory authority. This proposed ordinance will have a devastating effect on free speech and press freedom in Pakistan and all efforts in this direction must cease immediately.
In a country where the media already functions within a restrictive environment, with a limited space for free expression, the proposed centralization of regulatory structures will lead to further control of the media and further shrink the space for media freedom. PPF believes this proposed ordinance will grant the authorities tools to further control the media narrative and undermine the media’s ability to provide free and independent coverage.
Daily Times
May 31, 2021
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned Geo News for banning anchor Hamid Mir from conducting his popular show Capital Talk.
In a statement issued on Monday, union President Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary-General Nasir Zaidi said,
“Geo management should let the journalist fraternity know what prompted them to take this decision within the 72 hours of Mir’s speech in front of the National Press Club on Friday where he condemned non-democratic forces for attacks on media persons and Asad Toor.”
The two leaders said that after the speech, it was feared the government and the establishment would employ pressure tactics on Geo. “We would like to know if it was the result of pressure from the government and the establishment or if Geo has taken this decision on its own. In either case, it is highly condemnable and would be resisted fiercely.”
Several laws impacting the media sector are in the works. Some, like the Sindh Protection of Journalists and other Media Practitioners Bill, 2021, have been seen as a step in the right direction since official safeguards for the media fraternity are highly necessary, as seen by the recent attacks on journalists. Other bills, however, have earned criticism from media and human rights bodies as being over-regulatory and harmful to free media.
The Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) Ordinance, 2021 is the latter. The proposed law has been rejected by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) as being “draconian in scope and devastating in its impact on the constitutional principles and guarantees for freedom of expression, media freedoms, and the right to information.
May 31, 2021
Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) is concerned at the decision by
Geo News to take popular anchor and journalist Hamid Mir off air as it is perceived to have been taken because of external pressures.
According to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ),
Geo News has banned Mir from hosting his talk show
Capital Talk. In a statement issued on May 31, PFUJ President Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary General Nasir Zaidi said that the media organization’s management should inform the media fraternity what had prompted them to take the decision “within the 72 hours of Mir’s speech in front of the National Press Club on Friday (May 28) where he condemned non-democratic forces for attacks on media persons and Asad Toor.”