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The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has opposed the Press and Publications Regulatory Authority (PAPRA) Bill, saying that it "intended to put pressure on newspapers to toe the government line". The human rights body said that the Bill was "not needed at all". HRCP Director IA Rehman said that apparently the Bill was designed to meet the requirements of fixing rates of government advertisements and preparation of the central media list. "We do not see the justification for regulating the print media when deregulation is the order of the day. We are opposed to this system because it is an instrument of putting pressure on newspapers to toe the government line. All public sector offices should be free to release their publicity to whichever publications they think enjoy good circulation," the Dawn quoted Rehman as saying in a statement issued yesterday. Rehman, a veteran journalist, said that it was difficult to see what the bill meant by "efforts to streamline registration of newspapers and periodicals etc" when the matter was covered under the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Book Registration Ordinance 2002. PAPRA will have far greater authority than the existing Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) "and we do not see the justification for that," added Rehman. He further said: "The ABC has no power to punish anyone while PAPRA will have the authority to impose heavy fines and prosecute media people on charges carrying the punishment of imprisonment."
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