ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Thursday considered concerns over notices issued by the NCCIA to a newspaper columnist regarding an article published on June 11, 2024.
An NCCIA official told the committee that the complaint against columnist Toufiq Butt was filed by Pakistan Administrative Services Association (PAS) Punjab president Aman Babar, who objected to the use of the term “Office-corrupt” to refer to bureaucrats, arguing that it had damaged the reputation of PAS officers.
The official said no FIR had been registered and no criminal proceedings had been initiated, adding that the agency was just conducting an investigation to record the columnist’s version after receiving the complaint. He said notices were issued on June 19 and 29 after the columnist failed to appear before the agency.
He argued that the NCCIA was required to examine the complaints filed by the aggrieved parties and seek the respondent’s version before reaching a conclusion. That sparked a debate among journalists at the meeting, many of whom questioned whether the agency had jurisdiction over newspaper content.
Journalists argued that print publications fell under the jurisdiction of the Press Council of Pakistan, while electronic media were regulated by Pemra. Some participants warned that receiving such complaints could create a “back door” to pressure journalists and have a chilling effect on press freedom.
Others argued that once the same content became independently available on social media, it fell foul of cybersecurity laws, while others argued that republishing a newspaper column online should not change its regulatory status.
