Islamabad: A Pakistani parliamentary panel has sought a ban on airing foreign content in any language during prime time and taking strict action against violators. The National Assembly's standing committee on information and broadcasting made the recommendation following a discussion on the new trend of airing foreign soaps dubbed in Urdu by local channels and their negative effect on the local culture and the Pakistani youth.
The meeting, attended by Information and Broadcasting Secretary Rasheed Ahmed, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Chairman Abdul Jabbar and others recommended that if the rules allow airing of the foreign content, it should only be sub-titled in Urdu or English, Daily Times reported Friday.
According to the committee, the permitted 10 per cent of foreign content should be in proportion with the local content. It felt foreign content was being misused by the television channels.
The committee called for a review of the rules adversely affecting the local drama industry in view of the onslaught of the foreign dramas. It also suggested the Pakistan government to ban all advertisements featuring foreign talent. The information and broadcasting secretary informed the committee that only parliament could amend the PEMRA law.
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