Parliamentary delegation’s visit to Canada: NA body takes notice of ‘malicious’ media drive

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting took serious notice of the ‘malicious’ media campaign about a parliamentary delegation’s recent visit to Canada in connection with 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC).

The committee meeting was held under the chairpersonship of Javaria Zafar Aheer, MNA.

The committee also expressed grave concerns on the fake social media news about a secret meeting between prime minister/Pakistani officials with the Israeli officials in Doha and a malicious media campaign against flood relief activities of UNO in Pakistan.

Therefore, the committee directed the secretary Ministry of Interior, director general Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), director Cyber Crime Wing, FIA, chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and chairman Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to take punitive action against anti-state characters behind such social media campaigns.

The secretary Ministry of Information and Broadcasting briefed the Committee regarding coverage of malicious media campaign about the Parliamentary Delegation’s visit to Canada in connection with 65th CPC in social/electronic media. The committee took serious notice of the malicious media campaign about the parliamentary delegation’s recent visit to Canada. The committee also expressed grave concerns on the fake social media news about a secret meeting between prime minister/Pakistani officials with the Israeli officials in Doha and malicious media campaign against flood relief activities of UNO in Pakistan. The committee directed the secretary Ministry of Interior, director general FIA, director Cyber Crime Wing, FIA, chairman PTA, and chairman PEMRA to take punitive action against anti-state characters behind such social media campaigns.

The committee also unanimously condemned the planned media campaigns against the National Assembly delegation’s visit to Canada, Prime Minister’s Office, fake social media news about a secret meeting between Prime Minister/Pakistani officials with the Israeli officials in Doha and Indian media campaign against flood relief activities of UNO in Pakistan.

The chairperson of the Standing Committee categorically pointed out that halting such media campaigns against Pakistan, Parliament and the Parliamentarians requires the cooperation of government and private media organisations as such campaigns were to create trust deficit between public and their representatives and detriment the sanctity of the Parliament.

The committee deferred the legislative business (government bills), i.e. “The Motion Pictures (Amendment) Bill, 2020”, “The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2020”, and “The Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation (Amendment), 2020”, and decided to consider the said important legislative business when the Minister for Information and Broadcasting is available.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022