The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Monday asked Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to devise a mechanism to ensure credibility of news.
The committee observed that electronic media is running after rating of programs and there is no mechanism to ensure credibility of news. The committee, hence, directed PEMRA that no defamatory and fake news, without confirmation, is aired on media against any respectable member of society including legislators for the sake of rating.
The committee meeting chaired by MNA Javed Latif observed that certain news channels telecast fake news daily but no action is taken against them.
The committee also expressed its displeasure over PEMRA's notification of imposing ban on a programme of a private TV channel without hearing the host or its management. Moreover, the decision was again reverted and ban was removed which also gave a bad reflection on PEMRA working.
The committee directed the PEMRA chairman to attend the next meeting of the committee and explain its position on this issue.
MNA Aftab Jehangir also raised the issue of a feature film "Zindgi Tamasha" and said the committee should discuss the matter.
Secretary Information Akbar Hussain Durrani informed the committee that Censor Board had approved the film for release twice, but now a third party has filed an application.
On the request of MNA from NA-52 Islamabad, Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz, the committee directed the management of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) to settle the issue of construction of a road at its land near Alipur, Islamabad, for local population.
Javed Latif said the public representatives' job is to facilitate the people and the management of PBC should get the issue approved form its board of directors within 15 days.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Syed Aminul Haq, Usman Tarakai, Maiza Hameed, Aftab Jehangir, Naz Baloch, Tahir Iqbal and Saima Nadeem. Besides information secretary, senior officers from the ministry and attached departments were also present in the meeting.
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