Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Monday said the democratic government was a staunch supporter of the freedom of media and had scrapped the draconian laws introduced in the past to curb it. He expressed these views during a presentation given to him by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at the Prime Minister’s House here. The briefing was attended by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, the information secretary and heads of attached departments of the ministry. The prime minister said the freedom of the media and democracy were inseparable, adding that the government would ensure free debate, which was critical for the evolution of a pluralistic society. He directed state-owned media to give enhanced coverage to all political parties including the opposition, both in news and current affairs programmes. Ashraf praised Pakistan Television (PTV) for reaching out to maximum number of people in the country as a terrestrial channel, which was disseminating news to its viewers with responsibility. The success of PTV Sports Channel merited special appreciation during the presentation. He directed the authorities to overcome shortage of DSNG (Digital Satellite News Gathering) vehicles on emergency basis. He said in the competitive world of media, it was important to equip the state television channel with the latest technology to ensure live coverage of important events. He hoped that it would enable the official television to focus on the issues of the people in rural areas. He directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to take immediate steps for making the media university functional to impart advanced training to working journalists. He asked the media heads of Information Ministry to focus on projecting achievements of the government in various fields.
Freedom of media and democracy ‘inseparable’: PM
