PEMRA Amendment Bill 2023 to be tabled in Senate again, says Marriyum Aurangzeb

ISLAMABAD: The Minister of Information, Marriyum Aurangzeb, has announced the re-presentation of the PEMRA Amendment Bill in the Senate today, following persistent requests from the workforce.

Aurangzeb expressed her intention to formally request the Senate Chairman’s approval for the introduction of the PEMRA Amendment Bill 2023.

Earlier on Monday the Minister withdrew the PEMRA Amendment Bill, 2023 after several journalist associations voiced their concern.

However, today talking to journalists, she underscored that a year’s worth of effort had been invested in crafting this bill and it will be tabled in the Senate today.

Pemra Amendment Bill 2023 withdrawn

Aurangzeb apprised that the incumbent government wanted to abolish the old “black” Pemra law through the Pemra Amendment Ordinance.

Highlighting significant historical revisions embedded within the PEMRA Amendment Bill 2023, Aurangzeb hailed it as a commendable piece of legislation aimed at benefiting the community of working journalists.

The Information Minister emphasized that the formulation of the PEMRA Amendment Bill had been a collaborative process involving all relevant stakeholders. Importantly, she noted that the authority of the PEMRA Chairman had been curtailed, thereby ensuring a prevention of unwarranted program shutdowns.

Marriyum Aurangzeb further stressed that this legislation remains subject to potential future modifications.

She rebuffed notions that the bill is inherently detrimental, cautioning against the misperception that the mere act of its passage renders it objectionable.