Plans for UK Ofcom-like watchdog for media

Pakistan government is going to set up a central communication regulatory body dealing with various print and electronic media outlets operating in the country.

The British Ofcom-like central watchdog will be established after merging the two regulators — Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) — monitoring newspapers and TV channels respectively.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry chaired a high-level body at the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on Wednesday and after reviewing the role of PEMRA and PCP, announced that all media regulatory authorities will be merged into one top body called the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority.

In talks with media

While talking to mediapersons after the meeting, he said that the government in consultation with media representative bodies and broadcasters as well as newspaper owners and editors has decided to do away with PEMRA and PCP and constitute a new body “which will not only look after electronic media, but also print and cybermedia (social media)”.

At present Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is monitoring the social and web media, however, Chaudhry didn’t indicate that the government had any plan to merge PTA too in that central media regulatory body.

“There should be one regulatory authority to look at all mediums, and the same laws and censors should apply across the board,” Fawad further said.

According to him, the proposal would also save the government’s resources and all authorities will be merged into one body of professionals, which will also include media representatives.