Sindh Assembly rejects PMDA

The Sindh Assembly has rejected the proposed move by the federal government to establish a single central authority to control and manage all forms of media in Pakistan.

The house adopted through a majority vote the resolution against the proposed establishment of the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA).

Sindh Information and Labour Minister, Saeed Ghani, presented the resolution in the house against the setting up of the PMDA. The Opposition legislators in the house belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf opposed the resolution.

Against press freedom

The resolution stated that the PMDA is against freedom of expression and press freedom as guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. “Once the PMDA is established, it will be a step towards hindering the media freedoms and taking control of the press by the federal government. The bill is an attempt to control the digital and print media by a single entity i.e. PMDA irrespective of the fact that the two are separate entities in every respect,” the resolution said.