The Press Council of Pakistan (PCP), dormant since its establishment through an ordinance in 2002, as an autonomous and independent body to implement a code of conduct for the press, is now fully functional and all set to approve draft regulations for the long-awaited Ethical Code of Practice for press, to ensure freedom of the media and the rights of the common man.
Newly appointed PCP Chairman Raja Shafqat Khan Abbasi, soon after assuming the office, is working to bring PCP in action and to preserve the independence of press.
Shafqat Abbasi, a former judge of the Lahore High Court who is also an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and is the youngest elected member of the Pakistan Bar Council, is of the view that PCP has emerged as a major pillar of state due to its vibrant role as a watchdog to sensitize the government, executive, judiciary, public and the journalists also.
In an exclusive interview with Pakistan Today, Shafqat said that the purpose of the Ethical Code of Practice was to allow the press to function in accordance with the canons of decency, principles of professional conduct and precepts of freedom and responsibility, to serve the public interest
He said that PCP consisted of 19 members—4 members each from APNS, CPNE and PFUJ, one representative each from the Pakistan Bar Council, Higher Education Commission, vice chairman of Bar Council, the National Commission on the Status of Women in Pakistan, the Leader of the House in the National Assembly and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. All members had been appointed in 2010 and notified in October 2011, he added.
“PCP is in operational status at Islamabad headquarter and summary has been moved for supplementary budget to establish regional PCP office in the four provinces soon,” he maintained.
He said that PCP was formed after a long delay, adding that, “Though PCP was working in 90 countries. India formed it in 1966, Bangladesh in 1974 and Nepal in 1968. But it took long time to constitute PCP in Pakistan.”
He said that PCP would be online in a couple of days as all the requirements in this regard had been finalized. The web page would be in both Urdu and English, in order to make it accessible to the masses, he added. PCP would circulate copies of the Ordinance of Press Council of Pakistan and Ethical Code of Practice both in Urdu and English to all the newspapers and press clubs to sensitize journalists as well as the general public.
PCP, being a self-regulatory body for press, will promote healthy and responsible trends in journalism and safeguard the freedom of press, he added.
“PCP will ensure implementation and/or revision of the Ethical Code of Practice for journalists, publishers, editors, news agencies and newspapers. The Council will entertain complaints from any individual or organization and after looking into them, appoint a commission of inquiry to probe the matter at its head office, provincial office or regional office, where it deems fit. The Council will be empowered to look into a complaint about alleged interference in the freedom of the press by the government, a political party or any other organization or individual,” he concluded.
