ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party’s Human Rights Cell has cautioned against banning any TV channel and called upon the government to strengthen the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to ensure that the electronic media abide by a code of conduct that should be effectively enforced and regulated.

“Resorting to a ban is censorship and there is no room for censorship in a democracy,” said Dr Nafisa Shah, the central coordinator of the cell, in a statement on Thursday.

“While the cell endorses that press and media must exercise responsibility and not run vilification campaigns, we will not be a party to curbs on media freedom.” she added.

Dr Shah said it was a fact that some private TV channels had run full scale campaigns, sometimes maligning national institutions, and constitutional positions and often jeopardising national interest.

She said that it was both the fault of Pemra and the inability of channel owners to enforce the code of conduct.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2014