Pakistan Controversial Ordinance
Pakistan govt's controversial ordinance: Media organizations walk out of meeting with MIB officials
Islamabad: Media representatives and journalist organizations recently walked out from a meeting with officials of Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and vowed not to hold any further engagement with the ministry until it removes a controversial ordinance.
Hours after members of the media’s Joint Action Committee (JAC) walked out of the meeting, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) endorsed their position, announcing, “HRCP stands in solidarity with the media for freedom of expression", reports The Dawn.
Besides the strong stance adopted by the journalist fraternity and civil society, two major political parties of the country also objected to the move, describing the presidential ordinance as ‘unconstitutional’ and an attempt to ‘stifle the voice of dissent’, the Indian newspaper reported.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) even said they are ready to challenge the ordinance before the court of law.
Talking to The Dawn, JAC member and Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) president Shahzada Zulfiqar said that before staging the walkout, they told the information minister that the government had breached their trust by promulgating the ordinance only a day before their scheduled meeting.
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