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Press Releases
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Urdu bulletins return to Pakistan FM stations after six-month ban
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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Urdu is relaunching its live five-minute news bulletins on local Pakistan FM partner stations on Tuesday 6 May 2008.
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This follows their disruption by Pakistani regulators after the imposition of emergency rule on 3 November last year.
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Pakistan's Information Minister Sherry Rehman told the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ that, in keeping with the new Government's media policy, there were now no restrictions on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ news bulletins being broadcast on local channels in Pakistan.
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She said: "As far as I know, there should be no restrictions on the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ that PEMRA [Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority] had imposed," she said in an interview with the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ shortly after addressing the South Asia Free Media Association in Islamabad on the International Press Freedom Day.
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"I would encourage you to think that it is not just PEMRA that I am talking about but the Ministry of Information as a facilitator as opposed to a regulator," Ms Rehman said.
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"Regulation is a self-imposed thing among responsible, democratic societies and I would leave that to responsible journalists such as yourselves. But certainly as far as the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is concerned I see no reasons why it should be under any restrictions," she said.
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When reminded that PEMRA had imposed restrictions on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ news bulletins being broadcast live, the Information Minister said she would look into the matter right away.
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"You have my commitment on changing that," she said.
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Local FM stations started airing five-minute news bulletins from ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Urdu after protracted negotiations with PEMRA resulted in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ news bulletins being permitted to be broadcast through local FM partner stations.
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However, within days of launching the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ bulletins, its partner stations came under pressure from the regulators to block ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ news bulletins.
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The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and its partner Mast FM initiated proceedings in the Sindh High Court which immediately granted the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and its partner stations a stay.
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The court ordered that the status quo be maintained whereby ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ and its partner stations were to continue airing ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ bulletins until the case was decided.
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Following the imposition of the state of emergency on 3 November last year, the status quo was forcibly altered by the regulators and the bulletins were taken off air.
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The ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ news bulletins will now resume on 6 May after a break of six months.
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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Urdu Head Mohammed Hanif said: "We welcome the Pakistan Government's commitment to allowing the free flow of information. We know our partner stations and listeners in Pakistan have valued the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½'s impartial and editorially independent news and information." Ìý
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service Press Office
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