ISLAMABAD – Majority of the members of the National Assembly on Thursday expressed concerns on the massive foreign content being telecast by the country’s television channels which, according to them, was against the cultural values of the country.
Responding to different questions, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Syed Sumsam Ali Bukhari agreed to the notion of the members and said that some dramas telecast by some TV channels were of Indian content and violated the cultural values of the country.
He informed the House that five councils were operating under the Pakistan Electronic and Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) out of which a council has been set up in each province and the federal capital to address the complaints lodged by the citizens against television channels and cable operators.
The minister said these councils had disposed of 540 complaints during past four months. He said there were about 2,500 cable operators across country and the PEMRA keeps monitoring their services and imposes fine in accordance with violation committed by them. Bukhari said PEMRA takes swift action against any complaint received with any particular reference or pinpointing of the violation.
He said strict action was taken against cable operators when they play movies and stage dramas on compact discs in violation of PEMRA rules whether complaints in this regard were received or not. National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza observed that there was a dire need to create awareness among masses about presence and working of the complaint councils.
Gull evades queries on substandard CNG’s sale: Prime minister’s Advisor Nawabzada Ghazanfar Gull on Thursday evaded successive questions on the inaction of the government agencies to check the unabated sale of substandard and inadequate compressed natural gas (CNG) to the consumers across the country.
