PEMRA bill passed by Senate after presented by Maryam Aurangzeb

Senate of Pakistan had PEMRA bill which was bone of contention between two journalist groups, meanwhile majority of working journalists were in support of the bill.

Earlier Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has tabled the PEMRA (amendment) bill 2023 – which she had withdrawn two days ago – once again in the Senate on Wednesday. The development came after journalists were divided on the issue with one group supporting the bill.

Speaking to a group of journalists on Wednesday, the minister announced that she was going to table the bill again later in the day, which she did a short while later.

Earlier, journalists walked out of the National Assembly to protest the withdrawal of the bill, which requires media houses to ensure that salaries are not delayed beyond two months.

While one group of journalists believes that the bill allowed media houses to delay salaries for two months and placed curbed on journalism, the other group has seen it as a ray of hope.