The All Pakistan Newspapers Society has termed the draft bill of the Press and Publication Regulatory Authority a draconian law and vowed to strongly resist all efforts to strangulate the press, says an APNS press statement issued on Tuesday. Announcing the resolutions and decisions taken by the ANPS executive committee in a meeting held in Lahore on Monday, APNS Secretary-General Kazi Asad Abid said the members of the executive committee criticised the federal government for seeking to foist upon the print media an organisation like the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/20/nat7.htm

The All Pakistan Newspapers Society termed the draft bill of the Press and Publication Regulatory Authority a draconian law and vowed to strongly resist all efforts to strangulate the press, says an APNS press statement issued on Tuesday….

The Nation, Page-9

The Chairman of Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights, Senator S M Zafar, taking suo moto notice of the concerns showed by the media on proposed Press and Publication Regulatory Authority (PAPRA) Bill, has summoned the meeting of the committee on December 28. The Chairman pointed out that the Press has shown grave concern, both editorially and otherwise, raising the fears that the proposed legislation may adversely affect the freedom of the Press. Notices to the relevant ministries, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) have been issued by the committee requesting them to send their representatives to explain their point of view in this regard.

http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/dec-2006/19/index9.php

Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights Chairman Senator S M Zafar has taken suo moto notice of the concerns of the media over the government-proposed Press and Publication Regulatory Authority (PAPRA) Bill, 2006. The chairman pointed out the press has showed grave concern, both editorially and otherwise, raising fears the proposed legislation may adversely affect the freedom of press. Taking suo moto notice of reports, Senator S M Zafar convened the functional committee meeting on December 28.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=4850

The Pakistan Peoples Party has raised strong objections to the proposed Press and Publication Regulatory Authority, terming it a draconian law put forward by the regime to further curb the freedom of press, an essential component of a vibrant and free civil society. In a press statement issued here on Monday, PPP's Central Information Secretary, Sherry Rehman condemned the regime's intended move to streamline and regulate the media industry without any input or consultation from stakeholders.

http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/dec-2006/19/localnews3.php

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has criticised the draft bill to set up the ‘Press and Publication Regulatory Authority (PPRA)', terming it a “brazen and shocking act aimed at suppressing the freedom of speech”.PPP Information Secretary Sherry Rehman said the government had not consulted the media before “attempting to regulate its affairs”.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\12\19\story_19-12-2006_pg7_12

The Pakistan People's Party has raised strong objections to a proposed bill to set up Press and Publication Regulatory Authority (PAPRA). In a statement on Monday, PPP Information Secretary Sherry Rehman said the party has denounced the regime's recent move to set up the "Press and Publication Regulatory Authority (PAPRA) to control the media. She condemned the regime's ulterior motives to streamline and regulate the media industry without any input or consultation from stakeholders.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=36076

The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) on Saturday rejected the formation of the proposed Press and Publication Regulatory Authority (PPRA), dubbing it “yet another disguised attempt to control the press” in Pakistan in the name of regulation.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\12\17\story_17-12-2006_pg7_7

The Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) Saturday out rightly rejected the proposed Press and Publication Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and dubbed it yet another veiled attempt by the federal government to control the press in Pakistan in the name of regulation.
http://www.thepost.com.pk/Arc_NatNews.aspx?dtlid=73554&catid=2&date=12/17/2006&fcatid=14

The Standing Committee of the Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) at an emergency session on Saturday chaired by the CPNE President, Syed Faseih Iqbal, deliberated upon the proposed bill on the formation of Press & Publications Regulatory Authority (PAPRA) by the federal government and rejected it “outright”, describing it as another subtle alternative to control the press under the euphemism of regulation.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=4

Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani on Saturday dismissed fears that the government was planning to curb the freedom of the press by introducing a press and publications regulatory authority.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\12\17\story_17-12-2006_pg7_19

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Muhammad Ali Durrani has categorically dispelled the impression being created by certain news reports that the government was considering to curb the freedom of press by introducing Press and Publications Regulatory Authority (PAPRA).

http://nation.com.pk/daily/dec-2006/17/index7.php

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is concerned by reports that a new press regulatory body that may be established in Pakistan is a replication of an infamous "black law" dating back to the 1960s. According to IFJ affiliate, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), a report appeared in a leading Urdu language daily newspaper stating the government was about to instate a new body called the Press and Publication Regulatory Authority (PAPRA).

http://www.ifex.org/eng/layout/set/print/content/view/full/79956/

The move to establish a press and publications regulatory authority is an attempt by the federal government to ‘ambush' freedom of press and the motive for the legislation is to effectively control the print media. This was stated by Naib Amir of Jamaat-i-Islami Prof Ghafoor Ahmed in a statement issued here on Friday. Condemning the move, he said that presenting the bill by keeping the All-Pakistan Newspapers Society APNS in the dark, was a proof of the government's dishonesty.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/16/local15.htm

The government is making covert efforts for the last one year to introduce a new law under the Press and Publications Regulatory Authority (Papra) to control the print media, and its draft was sent to the provincial governments and other departments concerned to seek their recommendations in March 2006. However, the government has neither consulted the journalists' organisations nor bodies of the newspaper owners and editors - APNS and CPNE - in this regard. The matter has completely been kept secret throughout this period.
http://www.thepost.com.pk/NatNews.aspx?dtlid=73710&catid=2

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The Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors has opposed the government's proposal to set up a press and publications regulatory authority, describing it as `yet another attempt to control the press in the name of regulation'. In a statement issued after a meeting of its Standing Committee on Saturday, the CPNE said the government had not consulted representative bodies of the press over the issue, including the CPNE.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/18/nat3.htm

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The draft bill, to set up a Press and Publication Regulatory Authority (PAPRA) reportedly prepared by the Federal Government, is clearly designed to take away from the press the little freedom allowed at present, stated Human Right Commission of Pakistan while condemning the proposed legislation. A statement issued by HRCP Chairperson, Asma Jahangir, termed the proposed draft appalling for it granted sweeping powers to the government to inspect the printing process and visit offices of the publications to check record and accounts and also to impose tough penalties, including fine up to one millions rupees and a jail term up to three years for anything construed as violation of the proposed law, which has not been floated among the public or even the key stakeholders before being finalised.

http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/dec-2006/13/localnews3.php

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A draft bill to set up a Press and Publication Regulatory Authority reportedly prepared by the federal government has been clearly designed to take away from the press little freedom that it has at present. A press release of the HRCP said it was appalled that the draft bill, which granted the authority sweeping powers to inspect and visit printing presses and offices of publications to check records and accounts and also impose tough penalties, including a fine of up to Rs1 million and a jail term of up to three years for anything construed as a violation of the proposed law, was not floated among the public or even key stakeholders before being finalised.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/13/nat9.htm

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The Federal Government has drafted a bill to set up “Press and Publication Regulatory Authority”, ostensibly with a view to streamlining and regulating the media industry, but without any consultation with the stakeholders, thus giving rise to fears among press circles that the proposed legislation would prove to be another control mechanism to influence the print media. It is a matter of great concern for general public as well as journalist community that idea of establishing a new regulatory body was not floated to elicit public opinion before preparing the draft legislation.

http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/dec-2006/12/index4.php

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The All Pakistan Newspapers Society said on Monday that it had noted with grave concern reports that the federal government intended to establish a Press and Publications Regulatory Authority on the same lines as Pemra. Kazi Asad Abid, Secretary General of the APNS, said in a statement that the government's intention appeared to control and regulate the print media through a bureaucracy-dominated authority which would become a lever to curb freedom of the press. The APNS executive committee, he said, would meet in Lahore on Dec 18 to discuss the issue and work out a suitable strategy.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/12/nat12.htm

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