KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has criticised attempts to gag the media through some new “draconian laws the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government is contemplating without taking into confidence parliament and other stakeholders”. “The draft of the Pakistan Print Media Regulatory Authority (PPMRA) Ordinance, 2017 is being circulated among government circles, which is a replica of draconian Press and Publication Ordination, 1960 imposed by late dictator Ayub Khan,” the PPP chairman said in a statement. Bilawal said that PPP had always fought alongside the journalist community and won’t allow any law to curb press freedoms.
He pointed out that it was Benazir Bhutto who scrapped anti-press freedom laws enacted by the Zia regime and its predecessor dictators and opened new vistas for the print media in the 80’s. The PPP chairman assured the media of support against imposition of any such ordinance. “Any law pertaining to print media regulations should be drafted in consultation with all stakeholders and all the parliamentary parties,” he added.
Published in Daily Times, September 12th 2017.
