‘PEMRA takes action on violation of code of conduct’

By Hina Kiyani

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib Friday informed the National Assembly that Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) had taken action against violation of its code of conduct.
Reply to a Calling Attention Notice in the House, raised by the Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, Muhammad Anwar, Shahida Akhtar Ali, and others about the increasing obscenity on television channels, the minister said the PEMRA had a complete code of conduct which was formulated in 2015 on the directions of the Supreme Court.
Farrukh Habib said that as per the code of conduct, as many as 365 show-cause notices were issued to various channels, while action had also been taken against 28 advertisements and dramas.
The minister said that as per the code of conduct, the PEMRA had the authority to impose Rs one million fine on the violation, and to date, it had imposed about Rs 25,000,000,
He said the directives had been issued to the PEMRA for circulating of advisory to all the TV channels during the next week and a copy of the advisory would also be shared with the House. Farrukh Habib asked the members to share their objections if they have on any particular channel or drama, the authority would take action against.
he minister said the PEMRA had a Council of Complaints and the parliamentarians and any individual could approach it on any violation. The PEMRA in the past, the minister said, had already taken action on the applications against the channels.