In what seems a major step towards protecting media freedom, the newly-elected government in Pakistan has announced a decision to disband the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA), a controversial media regulatory body set up by the former government of prime minister Imran Khan which critics alleged was brought to control free speech and press freedom.

Last year, several journalists and rights activists had criticized when the former government passed an ordinance to set up a new media regulatory body, the Pakistan Media Development Authority. The government tried to bring all print, broadcast, and even social media under the proposed PMDA.

On Tuesday, newly-appointed Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb termed it a “draconian law” and said the government will not implement it.

“Whatever work has been done on the ‘black law’ related to the PDMA and in whatever shape it is … it has ceased to exist,” she was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. “We will not bring any black law which violates the citizens’ constitutional right to freedom of expression,” she added.

She further said there was no need for any other regulatory body in addition to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra).

At a press conference on Tuesday, the new information minister said "The media enables accountability of governments, thus enhancing the latter's performance," and also accused the earlier government of suppressing media freedom, gagging vocal journalists and political opponents.

She said that the joint action committee, formed in the backdrop of PMDA comprising all the stakeholders, would now work out a solution, which would not only be implementable but also acceptable to all.

Importantly, the space for free media in Pakistan has shrunk significantly, especially in the last few years, as the government and the country’s powerful military have not only tried to impose censorship but also sought to give these moves legal cover through ordinances and draconian laws.

(SAM)