ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman on Saturday said the new democratic set-up believes in freedom of the media and every possible effort was being made to ensure free flow of information.

Addressing a function, organised here by the South Asian Free Media Association (Safma) in connection with the World Press Freedom Day, she said the present coalition government gave respect to the media and fully recognised the role it was playing in strengthening the democracy. Sherry Rehman said the commitment of the present government towards free media was manifested by the fact that the first legislation it made was the repealing of the black Pemra laws. “We just want to see the role of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as facilitator not regulator,” she said. She regretted efforts made by the previous government to gag the media over the past few years, but “on the part of the present set-up, I assure complete support to journalists so that they can perform their professional assignments in a befitting manner.”
Source: The News
Date:5/4/2008