GlobalVillageSpace
Media Partner
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2017
- Messages
- 993
- Reaction score
- 1
- Country
- Location
Free speech struggling for breath
Global Village Space |
The Pakistan Electronic Media Authority or PEMRA, as it is colloquially referred to, was formed in 2002 with the mandate to “facilitate and promote a free, fair, and independent electronic media”. However, most of its stated powers are perceived as undemocratic by international standards.
PEMRA falls under and has to execute policy put forth by the federal government. Recently, PEMRA and the federal government have faced increasing criticism because of their attempts to enforce censure and limit the scope of free speech.
The CEO and founder of Bol and its mother company Axact, Shoaib A. Shaikh, had to spend almost 14 months behind bars on the charges of running a fake degree mill.
Critics claim that PEMRA is used as an enforcer by the incumbent government to quash those who challenge the policies or question the narrative put forth by the political establishment.
Read more: Government’s attack on free speech for Army or for self-interest?
Last month, PEMRA passed a directive banning the broadcast of an upcoming popular news channel, Bol News. The order was swiftly overturned by the Sindh High Court because it was perceived as unlawful. This was termed by many pundits as an illustration of how the powerful media lobby can, in partnership with the government, neutralize a perceived threat. The CEO and founder of Bol and its mother company Axact, Shoaib A. Shaikh, had to spend almost 14 months behind bars on the charges of running a fake degree mill. Since then, he has been released on bail and the case against him seems to be shaky.
Apart from accusations of strong-arming critics of the government, PEMRA has recently been subject to much suspicion regarding the disappearance of several internet discussion forums. Rumors claim that PEMRA has a secret agreement with Facebook which allows it to suspend any Facebook page it deems to be a threat. On 5th May, the popular Facebook page Siasat.pk was suspended. Neither Facebook nor PEMRA had provided any prior notice or warning to the administrators of the page. After a successful social media campaign, the Facebook page was restored but no acknowledgment of the action was received from PEMRA. Following Siasat.pk’s restoration several other, smaller pages have been similarly blocked.
Read full article:
Free speech struggling for breath
Global Village Space |
The Pakistan Electronic Media Authority or PEMRA, as it is colloquially referred to, was formed in 2002 with the mandate to “facilitate and promote a free, fair, and independent electronic media”. However, most of its stated powers are perceived as undemocratic by international standards.
PEMRA falls under and has to execute policy put forth by the federal government. Recently, PEMRA and the federal government have faced increasing criticism because of their attempts to enforce censure and limit the scope of free speech.
The CEO and founder of Bol and its mother company Axact, Shoaib A. Shaikh, had to spend almost 14 months behind bars on the charges of running a fake degree mill.
Critics claim that PEMRA is used as an enforcer by the incumbent government to quash those who challenge the policies or question the narrative put forth by the political establishment.
Read more: Government’s attack on free speech for Army or for self-interest?
Last month, PEMRA passed a directive banning the broadcast of an upcoming popular news channel, Bol News. The order was swiftly overturned by the Sindh High Court because it was perceived as unlawful. This was termed by many pundits as an illustration of how the powerful media lobby can, in partnership with the government, neutralize a perceived threat. The CEO and founder of Bol and its mother company Axact, Shoaib A. Shaikh, had to spend almost 14 months behind bars on the charges of running a fake degree mill. Since then, he has been released on bail and the case against him seems to be shaky.
Apart from accusations of strong-arming critics of the government, PEMRA has recently been subject to much suspicion regarding the disappearance of several internet discussion forums. Rumors claim that PEMRA has a secret agreement with Facebook which allows it to suspend any Facebook page it deems to be a threat. On 5th May, the popular Facebook page Siasat.pk was suspended. Neither Facebook nor PEMRA had provided any prior notice or warning to the administrators of the page. After a successful social media campaign, the Facebook page was restored but no acknowledgment of the action was received from PEMRA. Following Siasat.pk’s restoration several other, smaller pages have been similarly blocked.
Read full article:
Free speech struggling for breath
