ISLAMABAD- The Federal Cabinet reviewed and discussed the progress on the ongoing communication projects including Islamabad-Peshawar and Pindi Bhatian-Faisalabad Motorways and Lowari Tunnel.
President General Pervez Musharraf chaired the cabinet meeting which was attended by the federal ministers, federal secretaries and concerned officials of the ministries.
Minister for Communications Jawed Ashraf Qazi briefed the cabinet about the projects and the progress made so far in this regard.
PRESS LAWS: The cabinet also considered and discussed in detail draft Press Council of Pakistan Ordinance 2002 and draft Press, Newspaper Agencies Registration Ordinance 2002.
The President directed the ministries of Information and Law to ensure that the discretionary powers of the authority authenticating the declarations be not left unchecked. He directed that certain minor amendments should be made to protect the interests of the newspapers and publishers to prevent arbitrary cancellation of declaration.
The President appreciated that the Pakistani publishers and editors have nicely worked with the ministries of Information and Law to develop a healthy document relating to the press in Pakistan.
In this context, the President particularly referred to the ethical code of practice that has been proposed in the Press Council of Pakistan Ordinance 2002.
President Musharraf directed that these laws must be finalised and promulgated during the current month and asked the ministries of Information and Law to resubmit the draft laws in the next cabinet meeting.
The President reiterated that the efforts to promote a kind of culture which is not in conformity to our cultural traditions would not be tolerated.
The President during last cabinet meeting had taken strong exception of the functions held in Islamabad and Lahore where reportedly in the name of fashion shows obscenity was spread.
The President said that he had received lot of complaints about these shows and he had ordered investigation into the matters.
“We want to create a balance in the society and pursue moderation and tolerance in line with our cultural values and traditions. But I am concerned over the tendency to go to the other extreme,” he said.
The President said the government believes in the privacy of individuals but they should confine to their own precincts. “We do not want to intrude in any body’s private life but it should not be made public. We would like that people live normal life and one should not move against our own traditions.”
The President said that he had directed to investigate the incidents and also directed the provincial governments to play their role in this regard.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:3/7/2002
