Pakistan: Minister Says Nation Model of Free Media in South Asia
Excerpt from report by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency
Islamabad, 27 March: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Durrani said Tuesday that Pakistan has become a model of free media in the entire South Asian region due to the bold initiatives taken by the government to make media more dynamic and professionally vibrant.
Chairing a high-level meeting attended by provincial information ministers and advisers, he said the government had taken different initiatives to facilitate media outlets and in this connection the prime focus had been laid on taking all the stakeholders on board in the implementation process. The minister urged the concerned authorities to forge better and cohesive coordination to help obtain the desired results for proper implementation of the media strategy. It was also agreed to hold provincial secretaries’ meetings with the federal secretary information and broadcasting on a monthly basis to ensure better coordination among the centre and the provinces.
Meetings on quarterly basis would also be held by respective provincial secretaries with the provincial heads of PID, PTV, PBC and APP to formulate and coordinate the media matters, he added. The minister also endorsed proposals of inter-provincial visits by the media professionals and their proper training at PTV, PBC and IS academies. Senator Durrani asked the authorities concerned to coordinate further by short listing their priorities so that the issues could be clarified and the need for motivation could be underlined. He asked the provincial ministries to send their proposals for the excellence awards for journalists to finalize an awards list in time for the next year.
The minister said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has approved 10 scholarships per annum for journalists for acquiring PhD degrees abroad. He said the journalist community had recommended that M.Phil and Masters degree programmes should also be included with the PhD degrees and the government is considering the proposal. Senator Durrani called for facilitating movement of journalists, especially for foreign correspondents.
The minister also informed that it has been decided that district coordination officers and district police officers of the respective districts would be available for official briefings to the media persons if any incident occurs in their jurisdiction. Similarly, he added, the provincial information ministers would be available for official versions on issues pertaining to their respective province.
The minister praised the role of PTV and APP in dissemination of news, saying that both the institutions were playing a pivotal role in news gathering and its distribution in an authentic and a clear and credible manner. He stressed the need for collaboration among the federal and provincial ministries and departments for more public awareness about the mega projects being carried out by the government.
The minister said that the government, in coordination with CPNE [Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors] and APNS [All Pakistan Newspapers Society], has formed a Press Council to address the complaints against media. Chairman Press Council Justice Ijaz has assumed the office, he said. It has always been a cherished desire of the government to create harmony among the provinces and in the execution of media related projects the suggestions and proposals tabled by the provinces are being entertained accordingly, he added. Senator Durrani informed that similar meetings would be held on a quarterly basis in all the provinces while the next meeting would be held in Quetta in May.
The participants were also briefed on the Islamabad Media University Project which would be operational by September this year.
The meeting was informed that the media university would cater to the needs of media persons in the realms of latest training of skills and latest knowledge. The PC-1 of the project has been submitted with the Higher Education Commission and it would be a thesis-based institute with satellite campuses in all the four provinces. After three years, the media university would be shifted to its purpose-based location near Lehtrar road where a 200-kanal tract of land has already been acquired. [Passage omitted]
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