Pakistan: Proposals to lift Musharraf's restrictions on press freedom

Posted by Carolyn Lo on April 14, 2008 at 11:19 AM

On Friday, Pakistan's newly elected government introduced a bill in Parliament to lift the restrains on the independent media imposed by President Pervez Musharraf last year.

"The draconian laws that threatened coercive action against the press will be removed via this bill to begin the process of providing a free press in Pakistan," said Sherry Rehman, the information minister. She hopes the bill will become a law.

In November, Musharraf made an emergency decree that allowed the government to "seal the offices of independent television networks, confiscate their equipment, revoke licenses arbitrarily and stop live coverage." If television journalists had broadcasted anything that was considered to defame or ridicule the heard of state or army, they were presented with significant fines and a maximum 3 year jail sentence. All independent television networks were taken off air and were only allowed to resume broadcasting if they signed a code of conduct.

Rehman said the new government "would take steps to protect journalists and promised new measures for print and electronic media."

Source: The New York Times