Islamabad (Izhar Khan Niazi): The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting has directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to further strengthen its regulatory system for the effective monitoring of electronic media. It also directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to effectively raise the issue of timely payment of media workers’ salaries with media organizations.

A meeting of the Standing Committee was held at the PEMRA headquarters in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Committee Chairman Pullain Baloch. The committee was given a detailed briefing on PEMRA’s regulatory responsibilities and the performance of the Authority and Councils of Complaints.

During the meeting, PEMRA’s Chairperson and Executive Director General (Operations) informed the committee that under the PEMRA Act, the organization had been assigned the responsibility of facilitating and monitoring electronic media.

The committee was informed that following amendments made to the Act by Parliament in 2023, PEMRA had also been empowered to hear and take action on complaints regarding the non-payment of salaries to electronic media workers. A briefing was also given on PEMRA’s organizational structure, board, Councils of Complaints and details of pending and disposed-of complaints.

The committee was informed that Councils of Complaints established at the federal and provincial levels hear complaints and submit appropriate recommendations to the PEMRA Authority, including disciplinary or corrective measures. Notifications for the Councils of Complaints in Islamabad and Balochistan have already been issued, while a summary for the formation of the councils in Sindh and other relevant councils has been forwarded to the competent authority for approval.

The Standing Committee directed that the code of conduct for dramas and advertisements broadcast on television channels be strictly implemented so that broadcast content remains compatible with social and religious values.

The committee also recommended that the clearance of dues owed to media houses be linked to the timely payment of salaries to media workers to ensure the effective protection of the economic rights of journalists and other media employees.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Members of the National Assembly Saad Wasim, Nadeem Abbas, Asia Naz Tanoli, Romina Khurshid Alam, Kiran Haider, Shaheen, Sehar Kamran, Syed Amin-ul-Haq, Rana Ansar, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri (online), Kiran Imran Dar (online), Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Chairperson PEMRA and other senior officials of the ministry and PEMRA attended the meeting.