New media ordinance is Martial Law- Pakistan opposition

An ordinance proposed by the Imran Khan government to regulate the media is at the centre of storm in Pakistan. Human rights bodies and media organisations have rejected the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) ordinance 2021, which proposes to repeal all media-related and merge them, and establishment of tribunals. The ordinance also proposes to nominate a bureaucrat to head the PMDA - a provision which is being widely being criticised as coercive censorship.The ordinance proposes to repeal all current media-related laws in the country and wants them to be merged under the PMDA. Pakistan has several media-related laws like the Newspaper Employees, (Conditions of Service Act), 1973; the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Ordinance, 2002 (amended in 2007); and the Motion Pictures Ordinance, 1979.

The opposition parties as well as media organisations have called the ordinance "martial law". Those against the proposed law have vowed to resist such draconian steps by the government by taking trade unions, academia, political parties and citizens' organisations on board. "Plans to centralise media oversight under one draconian authority, annual NOCs to remain operational, suspension/ penalties on way," said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman. After the new ordinance, media outlets will "either become state mouthpieces or go under", she added. Pakistan Muslim League (N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Twitter called the ordinance a "draconian, authoritarian, repressive and punitive" instrument to "suppress constitutional freedom of expression of print media, electronic media and online citizen journalism.