Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said that the draft for the new media regulatory authority — Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA) — has been finalised.
“We are aware of the recent surge in fake news and concerns therein, hence draft of a single, efficient and powerful PMRA has been finalised and sent to all stakeholders,” the minister tweeted.
He said that the proposed body will come into effect “after due deliberation by parliament”.
We are aware of the recent surge in the #FakeNews and concerns therein, hence draft of a single, efficient and Powerful Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA) has been finalised and sent to all stakeholders
It will be passed after due deliberation by Parliament#PMRA #PEMRA #FIA #PTA pic.twitter.com/E8mACg8FIm— Fawad Chaudhry (@FawadPTIUpdates) January 12, 2019
Earlier, journalists had expressed skepticism over the government’s move, which was announced in August last year.
In a statement, the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors said that every media category had its specific issues, nature, and operating methods, and handling all media categories with one single law would be akin to ignoring ground realities.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan has also voiced his concerns on the proposed body, saying that print, electronic and social media had their own dynamics and it would be difficult to cater to their requirements under one umbrella.
