Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said he proposed the idea of creating the Pakistan Media Development Authority and rejected the allegation that he was asked by any general to do it, according to a report in The News.

According to the report, an anchor asked the minister about a widely-circulated news item which suggested that "the government took the military establishment on board" before creating the PMDA and that they [military establishment] “accepted” the proposal when it was put before them.

However, the federal minister denied the news.

The report added that Fawad was asked if the Information Ministry came up with the idea of creating the PMDA.

Quoting the minister, the report said, “Absolutely yes.” Fawad told the anchor: “You can narrow down the scope of Information Ministry too. I have made it.”

In another interview on Wednesday to Zara Hut Kay on Dawn News, Fawad claimed the ministry studied laws of different countries related to the media which, according to him, were being introduced in the United Kingdom, Kuala Lumpur, Australia and the United Nations.

He added that after reading those laws, the ministry decided to create the PMDA, which, he said, was beneficial for journalists.

The new law would provide a platform to journalists who were not being paid by the media organisations on time, he said.

Talking about the prevailing laws of media, the federal minister said, “Currently seven laws are regulating different platforms of media. One of them is Pemra, established in 2002 when the digital media didn't exist.”

He added that the government aimed to create an umbrella authority under which all platforms of media would be operated.

Many media organisations of the country, including Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Pakistan Broadcasters Association, All Pakistan Newspapers Society, Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors, Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors as well as Pakistan Bar and Human Rights Watch, have rejected the idea presented by the ministry and said the bill aims to silence independent voices in media.

Addressing a news conference, PFUJ Secretary General Nasir Zaidi said: “Power sectors in the country want to control media. And now the government also wants that the restrictions on media should be institutionalized.”

The national opposition leaderships have also rejected the new bill whose draft has not yet been shared with the media, standing committee of Senate and other stakeholders.

In another development, Law Minister Farogh Naseem hinted that a good news was awaited for media persons with reference to the proposed PMDA bill, reported Geo.

During an informal conversation with the reporters in his office, the law minister said he had been advocating the cause of journalists without any request from the fraternity and he had represented the media on the proposed PMDA bill.

However, he added that the bill was the domain of the Information ministry so the news would be soon unveiled by Fawad.