Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Monday vowed to go against any efforts by the PTI government to pass legislation related to the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA).
The opposition leader, speaking to representatives of media organisations, said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and the PML-N have already rejected the PMDA. “We will join forces with all political parties […] and take opposition into confidence against this black law,” Shehbaz said, adding, “This is a matter of life and death for independent journalism, democracy, and constitutional freedom.”
Shehbaz said he would also take up the matter of PMDA within his party, as he announced to also hold a consultative meeting with representatives of opposition and media organisations on the matter.
Shahbaz said no party in the parliament will support this ‘black law’ except for the government. “We will keep highlighting the issue, and may be the conscience of someone from the government’s bench will awaken,” he said, adding if political parties work sincerely against it, then it will be possible to have the proposed PMDA rejected in the Senate.
The opposition leader said no other regime gagged the media like the incumbent government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan did. “If any other government had imposed such restrictions, it would have been overthrown,” he said.
Shehbaz said the media is well-informed about the hatred and lies that have been spread during the last three years, as he highlighted that during the same period, unprecedented restrictions had been imposed on media. He also vowed to stand by journalists in their struggle for independent media in the country, as he informed the participants of the meeting that he would try ‘everything he can against the proposed PMDA’. The PML-N president said the curbs imposed on media in the last three years have rendered scores of journalists jobless. “Freedom that media has gained is not a gift from anyone […] media has made great sacrifices for the freedom of expression,” he said.
