ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the non-payment of salaries to media workers and growing instances of layoffs by media houses.
The meeting, chaired by MNA Pullain Baloch at Parliament House, observed that delays in payment of salaries and termination of employees without prior notice or fulfilment of contractual obligations were serious matters affecting the livelihoods and welfare of media professionals.
The committee asked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to present a clear strategy to address the issue.
The secretary of the ministry informed the committee that the government was regularly releasing payments against dues payable to media outlets. However, he said it was incomprehensible that the media outlets were not fulfilling their obligations.
He further informed the committee that, in line with its directions, details of outstanding salaries had been sought from the representative organisation of media workers, but the information had not yet been received.
The committee sought a clear and comprehensive way forward from the ministry within 15 days to address the matter and ensure payment of outstanding salaries to media workers.
It emphasised the need for effective coordination between the ministry, media outlets and representative organisations to resolve the issue. The committee directed the ministry to engage with all relevant stakeholders, obtain the required details of pending salaries and submit a concrete plan of action within the stipulated timeframe.
The committee was also briefed on the incident involving an assault on the chairman of the Press Council of Pakistan. It was informed that the matter was currently pending adjudication.
The committee was further told that the Ministry of Information had already taken cognisance of the matter and ordered an investigation into the allegations and issues involved. The investigating committee has been asked to submit its report within 60 days.
It was suggested that deliberations on the issue may be deferred until the investigation is completed.
In view of the pending judicial proceedings and the inquiry ordered by the ministry, the committee decided to defer discussion until the conclusion of the judicial and inquiry proceedings. The committee noted that any discussion at this stage could lead to overlapping proceedings or potentially prejudice the matter under consideration.
Later, the committee was apprised about the working and performance of the Central Board of Film Censors.
It was informed that following recent amendments to the Motion Picture Ordinance 1979, the nomenclature of the board would be changed, besides several changes in its composition to improve its working.
The committee expressed concern over the absence of a unified central forum for film certification in the country. It observed that the existing arrangement, under which provinces have their own film certification mechanisms, could lead to inconsistencies in certification standards and regulatory practices.
The committee stressed the need for greater coordination and uniformity among federal and provincial authorities to ensure a coherent and harmonised framework for film certification across the country.
It also underscored the importance of examining the matter in consultation with all relevant stakeholders to develop an effective mechanism that promotes consistency while respecting the respective constitutional jurisdictions.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Kiran Imran Dar, Kiran Haider, Shaheen, Salahuddin Junejo, Mehtab Akbar Rashdi and Rana Ansar, along with the secretary of the Ministry of Information, the PEMRA chairperson and officers of the concerned departments.
