ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Thursday reviewed concerns about notices issued by the NCCIA to a newspaper columnist about an article published on June 11, 2024.
An NCCIA official told the committee that the complaint against columnist Toufiq Butt had been filed by Pakistan Association of Administrative Services (PAS) Punjab president Aman Babar, who opposed the use of the term “Bureau-Corrupts” for bureaucrats, arguing that it had damaged the reputation of PAS officers.
The official said no FIR had been registered and no criminal case had been initiated, adding that the agency was merely conducting an investigation to record the columnist’s version after receiving the complaint. He said the notices were issued on June 19 and 29 after the columnist failed to appear at the agency.
It held that the NCCIA was required to consider the complaints filed by the aggrieved parties and seek the version of the respondent before reaching any conclusion. This sparked debate among journalists attending the meeting, several of whom questioned whether the agency had jurisdiction over the newspaper’s content.
The journalists argued that print publications were under the jurisdiction of the Pakistan Press Council, while electronic media were regulated by Pemra. Some participants warned that hosting these types of complaints could create a “back door” to pressure journalists and have a chilling effect on press freedom.
Others argued that once the same content was independently available on social media, it fell within the scope of cyber laws, while some argued that republishing a newspaper column online should not change its regulatory status.
