KP, G-B govts pledge support to Pemra

ISLAMABAD – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgat-Balitistan governments yesterday assured the Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (PEMRA) that they would support the Authority’s drive against Indian DTH in Pakistan.

Chairman PEMRA Absar Alam met CM KP Pervez Khattak and CM G-B Hafiz Hafeez-ur-Rehman separately in Islamabad and briefed them about the Authority’s crackdown on illegal Indian DTH, which will start from Oct 15.

Both CMs expressed their government’s resolve to help the PEMRA implement its plan against the menace.

Chairman PEMRA had also written a letter to the federal government, chief secretaries of all provinces, Azad and Jammu Kashmir government, State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Investigation Agency, Pakistan Telecom Authority and provincials police heads under PEMRA Ordinance Section 33-A and drew their attention towards illegal sale of Indian DTH in different areas of the country. He informed the national institutions that PEMRA would launch anti-Indian DTH drive from October 15 and to take strict action against those who will be involved in selling and purchasing of illegal DTH.

He had warned the TV channels that strict action would be taken against those channels which will violate PEMRA code of conduct. He said that licence holder TV channels can only telecast the foreign material not more than ten per cent of their transmission and only six per cent of Indian content out of total ten per cent. Absar Alam warned the administration of television channels and cable operators to voluntarily follow the rule adopted during the Musharraf era, otherwise, a punitive action will be taken from October 15.

PEMRA has also delegated its power to Chairman PEMRA to taking action against violators under Section 30 (3) of PEMRA Ordinance in its last meeting. Chairman PEMRA can cancel or suspend the licence of any company without issuance of show cause notice or providing the chance of hearing under the Section 30(3) Ordinance after the Authority’s decision.

Chairman PEMRA had also briefed the CM Balochistan Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri last week and handed him over letter regarding the campaign being launched on October 15 against Indian content being aired on cable TV networks, satellite TV channels and FM Radio stations and crackdown on illegal Indian DTH across the country.

Source: The Nation