State monopoly on media in AJK

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Mohammad Kamran

ISLAMABAD: Following the collapse of all state-owned media, survivors in the earthquake-hit areas have no access to information on the relief efforts.

This was the focus of an interactive seminar attended by lawyers and journalists on Wednesday who accused the government of monopolising the media in Azad Kashmir and in parts of the NWFP. There is no private radio or television channel in the region and after the collapse of Pakistan Television (PTV) and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) installations, people have lost access to news.

In the absence of any alternative media the local people are unaware of the relief activities being undertaken. They do not know where to get medical help, how they should reach relief centres or where to get food. The lack of information has aggravated the situation and aid workers complain of a lack of intra-communication and coordination between different relief efforts.

The seminar, titled ‘The media’s role in post-disaster information regime: legal options’, organised by Internews, a civil society organisation, stressed the need for disseminating information to the locals to facilitate optimum use of the relief efforts by various aid workers and agencies.

Aftab Alam, the media law advisor, said the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has invited private radio stations to set up FM radio in Azad Kashmir. “Since this process takes at least a year, PEMRA must relax their rules to facilitate the private channels.” Niaz Ahmed Rathore, president of Rawalpindi High Court Bar Association, said the government lacks proper disaster management skills and the Army’s inadequacies have been exposed. A huge residential tower collapsed in Islamabad and no adequate machinery could reach the site to rescue those buried in the rubble. “If proper rescue equipment cannot reach the capital then it cannot reach any part of the country,” he said. Tariq Jahangiri, the president of the Islamabad District Bar, said civil society organisations must resort to alternative measures to send information to the disaster-struck areas.

A media representative said that important lessons were to be learned from the current disaster and criticised the all-pervasive role of the Army in civil operations. “Our rulers think that with the passage of time people will forget this disaster and things will get back to normal. This should not happen at any cost. As a mouthpiece of the masses we should protest against the violation of the working jurisdiction by the Army.”Matiullah Jan, the media law policy advisor, formulated the proposals suggested by the participants and a joint statement was signed asking PEMRA to issue temporary licenses to private radio companies in the affected areas. The statement also requested the parliament’s media committee to allow media bodies and lawyers to present their views on PEMRA’s Amendment Bill 2005. The bill is currently pending approval by the committee.