Pakistan to launch special channel for live coverage of Parliament soon

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that PTV Parliament channel would soon be launched for the live coverage of the proceedings at both houses of the Parliament.

The new channel will give live coverage of National Assembly and Senate sessions as well as standing committees of both the houses.

Responding to the questions of the members of National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, she said that since it had been said during the meeting whether the PTV was a state channel or of a particular party, “it is incumbent upon her to clarify that the channel had shown live the sessions of the parliament as well as the speeches of the opposition members.”

She said that members of all the political parties were invited to the current affairs and other programmes of PTV and the data in that respect was available, which could be presented before the committee if desired.

The minister reiterating the need for restructuring PTV said that it was a state channel and was being run according to the policy approved by the cabinet. She said that PC-I for children channel was also ready.

Marriyum said that Ramazan transmission of PTV was very successful last year and this year also a good Ramazan transmission was envisaged. She claimed that during Ramazan people preferred to watch PTV programmes as they were telecast after strict editorial review.

The minister stated that PTV AJK was covering AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan and it was also neutralizing negative propaganda by India.

Marriyum claimed that PTV had maintained its credibility in regard to news telecast and no news telecast by the channel had ever been contradicted, adding that it had adopted a strict editorial policy to uphold the social, religious and cultural values.

She said that PTV Global was watched around the world and a monitoring team monitored all its programmes.

She told the committee that according to PEMRA code of conduct all the private channels were bound to dedicate their 10% transmission to the content pertaining to social issues.

She said that the first ever film and cultural policy has been announced and several tax rebates have also been given on the import of film making equipment in the current budget. She said that artist fund has also been established to restore self-respect of the artists.