New Pak cabinet to review media gagging laws today

Islamabad, Apr 9 : The new Pakistan government is set to review today all the media gagging laws enacted on November 3, coinciding the imposition of emergency in the country.

According to sources, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has prepared a summary for repealing all the laws that relate to Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and also on press and sent to the Law Ministry for vetting.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Sherry Rehman, who piloted the summary for repealing the black laws relating to curb the media enacted on November 3, will brief the cabinet on the PEMRA laws, reported The News.

Sherry confirmed that the summary for repealing the PEMRA laws had already been forwarded. "Yes, we had prepared the summary for repealing all media gagging laws and I shall brief the cabinet about the Pemra laws," the paper quoted her as saying.

She further said that the federal government believes in the freedom of expression and liberty of media and it was main agenda of the PPP to repeal all those laws relating to press that hinder in the freedom of media.

In the very first meeting of the cabinet last week, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani while chairing the cabinet meeting had directed the information minister to speed up the process of repealing all the black laws relating to media enacted after the imposition of the emergency in the country.

ANI