Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid said on Monday that the government would encourage and support any proposal for electoral reforms in the country. Talking to media persons after attending the meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, the information minister urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan to play active role in the Electoral Reforms Committee of Parliament.
Any proposed changes in the law, the constitution or in the formation of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), can only be implemented through the act of parliament, Rashid added. "Constitutional matters cannot and should not be decided on roads," said Pervaiz Rashid.
Pervaiz Rashid asked Imran Khan to knock the doors of parliament for electoral reforms, amendments in laws and the constitution, adding that Khan's suggestions for electoral reforms would be welcomed by the government. Khan must come to parliament and attend its committee's meetings set up for electoral reforms, Rashid said, adding there is a mechanism for every thing in the Constitution. Imran Khan would not have been able to visit IDPs camps easily, if adequate facilities have not been provided to the IDPs by the federal government, Rashid said.
He said the government was providing financial assistance to the IDPS so that they do not feel shortage of cash and edibles in the camps as Rs 40,000 cash grant was being provided to every IDPs family. He said daily use essential items were also being provided to the IDPs of North Waziristan Agency.
A large number of displaced people are getting themselves registered, the minister said and added the displaced people of North Waziristan were rendering great sacrifices for the elimination of terrorism from the country. Replying to a question, he said it was his desire that the media houses should form their own self-accountability mechanism on the pattern of the Ombudsman system in the United Kingdom media. About the code of conduct for satellite TV channels, he said the government has been trying to create consensus on the matter before its implementation as input of the stakeholders was very vital in the whole process. He said recently 23 TV channels fined by the PEMRA, but only the Geo Group paid the fine and accepted the punishment given by PEMRA, the rest of 22 went to the court and got stay orders.
The minister said that cable operators' job was to provide transmission to consumers and only the masses had the right to decide which channels they wanted to watch through their remote devices. Cable operators had no right to create hurdles in the smooth transmission of signals of all satellite channels and if they would not stop this illegal practice, PEMRA may be asked to cancel their licenses and take legal action against them.
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