Ban on any channel to provoke collective boycott: PBA

Adopts media protection policy

KARACHI: The Pakistan Broadcasters’ Association (PBA) unanimously passed and adopted a Media Protection Policy with immediate effect in its board meeting on Monday.

During the last decade, purely due to the initiative of the private sector, Pakistan electronic media industry has developed into a solid industry employing, directly and indirectly, hundreds of thousands of people all over the country, said a press release on Tuesday.

The strength, independence and courage of Pakistan’s electronic media have gained recognition across the world, it added.Since 2007, the electronic media has been facing either complete or partial closures/shut down either throughout the country, or in particular areas. The channel closure/shut down is used to curb the independence of the media when certain “advice” by pressure groups is not entertained due to independent editorial policy, it said.

It stresses that without free media, people’s right to be informed vanishes. When faced with illegal closure/shut down, the broadcasters are left with absolutely no avenue of addressing the problem immediately, it said, adding that the government as well as Pemra and federal and provincial law enforcing agencies are seldom forthcoming in offering any help to the broadcasters.

It is in the above background, as well as forthcoming elections that Pakistan’s broadcasters have united to safeguard viewers’ right to know, it further added.In the past, channels have been shut down using force and coercion because the media had not followed ‘advice’ of political parties and pressure groups. Now no channel can be illegally shut without repercussion of collective exposure, collective boycott and collective legal action. The PBA is united. United for people’s right to know, the press release concluded.

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