Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has taken another U-turn, the tableau of constant U-turns is still on display. The composition of the cabinet has indeed changed even though the ever eager Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) served legal notices on the 16 April to some media outlets.
This action was taken over the airing of news regarding a possible cabinet reshuffle. PEMRA has been insistent that the report on the cabinet reshuffle is “fake news”. However, the “fake news” allegation is now proved to be completely unfounded after the ouster of the finance minister from the cabinet. Asad Umar has now stepped down from his post and opted out of taking a new portfolio as the energy minister.
While showing complete faith in the leadership of the prime minister by declaring him the “best hope for Pakistan” on Twitter, the former minister also announced that he had obtained the PM’s consent to decline the offer of a new ministry. With Asad Umar now having receded to the background, at least for now, the focus shifts to a legal drama entangling PEMRA and its eagerness to issue a show- cause notice against a news item that turned out not to be fake news after all.
Both PEMRA and Fawad Chaudhry, the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting had been irked by the news items aired by some media networks regarding the news of a cabinet reshuffle. In tandem with the Information minister, PEMRA declared the news to be false and claimed that both channels were in sheer disregard of the Electronic Media Code of Conduct 2015 and also liable for a violation of PEMRA Ordinance 2002 and PEMRA Rules 2009.
The media outlets were also instructed to respond within seven days and the CEO’s of both outlets were summoned for a personal appearance or to send their respective representatives at PEMRA’s headquarters in Islamabad on April 22. Now that this saga has taken another turn and the reports of a possible cabinet reshuffle have turned out to be ‘not fake news’, it now remains to be seen whether the media regulator and the complaining minister will apologize or not.