The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting Thursday asked the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to devise a strategy, monitor TV channels and control obscenity and vulgarity.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the committee chaired by Beelum Hasnain MNA. The committee directed PEMRA to ensure strict compliance of censorship policy before giving NOCs for films, commercials and dramas. The committee also asked PEMRA to strengthen its monitoring system to control the activities of cable operators and take strict action against the violators by canceling their licences.
The chairperson of the committee, Beelum Hasnain, asked the PEMRA to pursue their court cases effectively. The committee urged the need of effective legislation to ensure strict compliance of PEMRA rules and avoid unnecessary litigation.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira briefly apprised the committee about the efforts made by the government to improve the performance of PEMRA. The meeting was also attended by MNAs Pir Aftab Hussain Jilani, Ch Saeed Iqbal, Ms Shamshad Sattar Bachani, Shireen ArshadKhan, Sheikh Muhammad Tariq Rasheed and Farhat Muhammad Khan.
