PPP-MQM deadlock: Firdous seeks to dispel impression

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday ruled out the impression of any sort of deadlock with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), saying that the PPP-led government would never close doors for dialogue as it is the sole answer to prevailing deteriorating situation in the country.
She said this while briefing media persons after attending the introductory meeting of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra). She added that the doors for dialogues are always open, and talk is the beauty of democracy. Deploring the worsening law and order situation in Karachi, she said that miscreants have played havoc with peace of the metropolitan.
She vowed that action would be taken against the miscreants without any discrimination by keeping aside the political affiliation. She said that on the directives of the President and the Prime Minister, a committee has been constituted to review the law and order situation in Karachi, headed by Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah.
She said that Karachi is the economic hub of Pakistan, and those who were bent upon sabotaging the peace of financial hub and targeting innocent people would be brought to book. She called upon all the political parties and stakeholders to sit together for evolving consensus to ensure permanent peace in Karachi. She stressed the need for a dialogue with all concerned parties and stakeholders for ensuring peace and tranquillity in Karachi.
Firdous termed the statement of Admiral Mike Mullen inappropriate, saying that it could harm Pak-US ties. However, she declined to further comment on the statement, saying that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the power to comment on his statement. She said that the government is devising a mechanism to convert electronic media into an industry. She further said Pemra is playing the role of a regulator and bridge between the state and private electronic media. She said that after the constitution of the authority, Pemra will take new initiatives for regulation of the electronic media.
The minister said that it has been decided in the meeting that Pemra will play its role in devising a mechanism to convert the electronic media into an industry. She asserted that Pemra will have to empower the media personnel. She further said that importance of Pemra has increased manifold after mushroom growth of electronic media in Pakistan. She added that priorities are being finalised for giving media the status of industry.
She said that welfare of people and addressing their grievances was the prime objective of the government and the media, adding that media could play vital role in eliminating terrorism and extremism. She said that Pemra was playing the role of a bridge between the private and state-run media and urged it to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to convert the electronic media into industry. She said cable industry and other departments have become a part of media industry, adding Facebook and Twitter and other social sites have also become part of the media.
About media university project, she was very much optimistic that the project would prove very helpful in training and capacity building of the media personnel. She said that issue of code of conduct also came under discussion during the meeting. She said that another meeting would be held next week to develop consensus on the matter.
Both Pemra and PBA would be able to jointly implement the code of conduct for electronic media, she hoped. She said that Pemra has been reconstituted following the directives of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. She said that new licences to channels would be issued in such situation when the operators would have the capacity to on-air maximum channels. She said efforts would be made for digitising through optic fibre.