Islamabad
A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting was held at the PTV Headquarters, Islamabad, under the Acting Chairmanship of Senator Sarmad Ali to deliberate on a wide range of issues, including the reported misrepresentation of Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah’s name and preachings in the film Buleha, notices issued by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), transfer of PECA cases to NCCIA, allotment of plots to journalists, advertisement quota for regional newspapers and the grievances of Radio Pakistan pensioners.
The meeting was attended by Senator Abdul Shakoor, Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi, Senator Pervaiz Rashid and Senator Jan Muhammad.
The Committee was briefed by NCCIA regarding social media statistics and the removal of objectionable content by Meta. NCCIA clarified that the figures previously shared with the Committee were based on Meta’s publicly available data. The Committee accepted the clarification and stressed the need for responsible reporting based on verified facts.
The Committee also reviewed the transfer of PECA cases from provincial authorities to NCCIA. On a query by Senator waqar Mehdi NCCIA Officials informed the Committee that only nine cases from Sindh had so far been transferred, while the remaining cases in other provinces were yet to be transferred.
After detailed deliberations, Senator Sarmad Ali directed that letters be sent to all relevant provincial authorities, urging them to expedite the transfer of pending cases along with the recommendations and report of the Senate Sub-Committee on Information and Broadcasting for implementation.
The Committee also examined the issuance of a notice to a newspaper columnist over alleged controversial remarks regarding the bureaucracy. NCCIA informed the Committee that the notice had been issued solely to obtain the columnist’s version following complaints lodged by the President of the PAS Officers Association.
It was further informed that no FIR had been registered under PECA, the columnist had not yet responded to the notice, and the article had been removed from the newspaper’s e-paper, although it remained available on the columnist’s Facebook page.
During the discussion, members reiterated the government’s assurance given in Parliament that PECA would not be used against websites or digital platforms of newspapers and television as their content were regulated by the Press Council and Pemra respectively.
Senator Pervez Rashid emphasized that the columnist should be asked to respond to the notice in order to establish the facts. The Committee unanimously observed that the dignity and sanctity of every individual must be respected. After consultation, the Acting Chairman directed NCCIA to refer both the complaint and the complainant to the Press Council of Pakistan, being the appropriate forum to examine the published column and decide the matter.
The Committee also took notice of the alleged misrepresentation of Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah’s message of peace in the film Buleha, observing that the film distorted the peaceful teachings of the renowned Sufi saint by associating it with violence and guns by the lead role of film.
Members questioned the basis on which the Central Board of Film Censors had approved the film. Although the Chairman of the Censor Board informed the Committee that the film had also been cleared by the censor boards of Punjab and Sindh, the Committee rejected this justification.
Members further questioned the criteria for appointing members of the Censor Board and urged the Federal Government to develop a transparent and merit-based mechanism for such appointments.
Following detailed deliberations, the Committee recommended that the producers of the Buleha be asked to change its name and remove an objectionable dialogue in which the lead character compared himself with Baba Bulleh Shah failing which the film should be blocked from release including possible removal from YouTube.
The Committee was also briefed on the allotment of flats and plots by the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) for journalists and media workers.
Officials informed the Committee that allotments under the quota for media workers had been completed while issues concerning the journalists’ quota remained unresolved.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the prolonged delay, the Committee decided to constitute a monitoring sub-committee comprising Senators Parvez Rashid, Waqar Mehdi and Abdul Shakoor to oversee implementation of its recommendations and facilitate resolution of the issue.
Senator Sarmad Ali directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to notify a committee comprising representatives of journalists in one week to review the matter, revisit the existing policy and decide the allotments within one month.
The Committee also recommended increasing the quota for journalists and media workers in future housing schemes and suggested introducing a dedicated housing loan scheme or according journalists priority under existing Federal Government housing finance initiatives.
The Press Information Department (PID) also briefed the Committee on the advertisement quota for regional newspapers. Officials informed the Committee that the existing policy reserves 25 percent of government advertisements for regional newspapers. However, members noted complaints regarding non-implementation of the policy, particularly from Sindh and Balochistan. The Acting Chairman directed PID to ensure strict implementation of the 25 percent quota, including language newspapers in recognition of their vital role in disseminating information to the public.
The Committee further discussed the issues faced by Radio Pakistan pensioners. It was informed that 353 commutation cases remained pending and that Radio Pakistan continues to operate through a Federal Government grant-in-aid. Officials also informed the Committee that the Prime Minister had already constituted a committee to resolve outstanding issues relating to Radio Pakistan, PTV and APP. The Acting Chairman directed that the grievances of Radio Pakistan pensioners also be placed before the Prime Minister’s committee and called for an early resolution of the matter. informed the Committee that only Sindh had transferred nine cases so far been while the remaining cases in other provinces were under process. After detailed deliberations, Senator Sarmad Ali directed that letters be sent to all relevant provincial authorities, urging them to expedite the transfer of pending cases along with the recommendations and report of the Senate Sub-Committee on Information and Broadcasting for implementation.
The Committee also examined the issuance of a notice to a newspaper columnist over alleged controversial remarks regarding the bureaucracy. NCCIA informed the Committee that the notice had been issued solely to obtain the columnist’s version following complaints lodged by the President of the PAS Officers Association. It was further informed that no FIR had been registered under PECA, the columnist had not yet responded to the notice, and the article had been removed from the newspaper’s e-paper, although it remained available on the columnist’s Facebook page.
During the discussion, members reiterated the government’s assurance given in Parliament that PECA would not be used against websites or digital platforms of newspapers and television as their content were regulated by the Press Council and Pemra respectively. Senator Pervez Rashid emphasized that the columnist should be asked to respond to the notice in order to establish the facts. The Committee unanimously observed that the dignity and sanctity of every individual must be respected. After consultation, the Acting Chairman directed NCCIA to refer both the complaint and the complainant to the Press Council of Pakistan, being the appropriate forum to examine the published column and decide the matter.
The Committee also took notice of the alleged misrepresentation of Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah’s message of peace in the film Buleha, observing that the film distorted the peaceful teachings of the renowned Sufi saint by associating it with violence and guns by the lead role of film. Members questioned the basis on which the Central Board of Film Censors had approved the film. Although the Chairman of the Censor Board informed the Committee that the film had also been cleared by the censor boards of Punjab and Sindh, the Committee rejected this justification. Members further questioned the criteria for appointing members of the Censor Board and urged the Federal Government to develop a transparent and merit-based mechanism for such appointments.
Following detailed deliberations, the Committee recommended that the producers of the Buleha be asked to change its name and remove an objectionable dialogue in which the lead character compared himself with Baba Bulleh Shah failing which the film should be blocked from release including possible removal from YouTube.
The Committee was also briefed on the allotment of flats and plots by the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) for journalists and media workers. Officials informed the Committee that allotments under the quota for media workers had been completed while issues concerning the journalists’ quota remained unresolved. Expressing dissatisfaction over the prolonged delay, the Committee decided to constitute a monitoring sub-committee to oversee implementation of its recommendations and facilitate resolution of the issue.
Senator Sarmad Ali directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to notify the committee comprising representatives of journalists in one week to review the matter and revisit the existing policy within one month. The Committee also recommended increasing the quota for journalists and media workers in future housing schemes and suggested introducing a dedicated housing loan scheme or according journalists priority under existing Federal Government housing finance initiatives.
On a query raised by Senate Jan Buledi, Press Information Department (PID) also briefed the Committee on the advertisement quota for regional newspapers. Officials informed the Committee that the existing policy reserves 25 percent of government advertisements for regional newspapers. However, members noted complaints regarding non-implementation of the policy, particularly from Sindh and Balochistan. The Acting Chairman directed PID to ensure strict implementation of the 25 percent quota, including language newspapers in recognition of their vital role in disseminating information to the public.
The Committee further discussed the issues faced by Radio Pakistan pensioners. It was informed that 353 commutation cases remained pending and that Radio Pakistan continues to operate through a Federal Government grant-in-aid. Officials also informed the Committee that the Prime Minister had already constituted a committee to resolve outstanding issues relating to Radio Pakistan, PTV and APP. The Acting Chairman directed that the grievances of Radio Pakistan pensioners also be placed before the Prime Minister’s committee and called for an early resolution of the matter.
