PICA will not be used against newspaper and television websites or digital platforms, Senate Standing Committee

Islam Abad (94 news) Under the acting chairmanship of Senator Sarmad Ali, a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting was held at PTV Headquarters Islamabad, in which a briefing was given by NCCIA regarding the removal of objectionable content from social media data and META. The NCCIA clarified that the figures provided to the committee earlier were based on publicly available data from Meta. The Committee accepted this explanation and emphasized the need for responsible reporting based on verified facts.
The committee also examined the issue of a notice to a newspaper columnist for alleged controversial remarks about bureaucracy. NCCIA told the committee that this notice pass (NOT) The columnist's position was only released after complaints were filed by the president of the officers' association. It was further informed that no FIR has been registered under PICA, the columnist has not yet responded to the notice, and the article has been removed from the newspaper's e-paper, though it is still available on the columnist's Facebook page.

During the debate, MPs reiterated the government's assurances in Parliament that Pica would not be used against newspapers and television websites or digital platforms as the content they curate is controlled by the Press Council and PEMRA respectively. Senator Pervez Rasheed insisted that the columnist be asked to respond to the notice to clarify the facts. The Committee unanimously observed that the dignity and sanctity of every individual should be respected. After consultation, the Acting Chairman directed the NCCIA to refer both the complaint and the complainant to the Press Council of Pakistan, the appropriate forum to review the published column and decide the matter.
The committee also reviewed the transfer of PICA cases from provincial authorities to NCCIA. On Senator Waqar Mehdi's question, NCCIA officials told the committee that only nine cases have been transferred from Sindh so far, while the process of transferring cases to other provinces is still pending. After detailed deliberations, Senator Sarmad Ali directed that letters be sent to all concerned provincial authorities to expedite the transfer of pending cases along with the recommendations and report of the Senate Sub-Committee on Information and Broadcasting for implementation.