State ads to be stopped for media houses not registered with EOBI

Islamabad: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting has called for state advertisements to be stopped for media organizations that are not registered with the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution, while seeking aState ads to be stopped for media houses not registered with EOBI complete list of media workers covered by EOBI.

The committee raised the issue while reviewing measures for the welfare and protection of media workers and stressed that registration of media organizations with EOBI should be linked with the allocation of government advertising.

The chairman directed the relevant authorities to check the list of media organizations registered with EOBI and identify those that are not registered. He said advertisements from the state should not be given to organizations that fail to register their employees with EOBI, while organizations meeting the requirement should remain eligible for government advertising.

The committee also decided to call the Managing Director of EOBI to its next meeting and asked for a complete list of registered media organizations and their media workers.

Members said the issue had previously come before the standing committee several years ago but had not been fully resolved.

The committee also discussed making life insurance coverage mandatory for media workers. Members stressed the need to protect workers through stronger employment and welfare arrangements.

During the discussion, members also raised the issue of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and its effect on journalists carrying out professional duties.

The chairman proposed writing to the Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency to clarify that material published by newspapers, television channels and their websites in the course of genuine media work should not be unnecessarily subjected to cases or inquiries under the cybercrime law.

The committee’s discussion reflected its concern that media workers should receive basic employment protections while legitimate journalistic work should not face unnecessary legal hurdles.

The committee decided to seek a detailed briefing from EOBI at its next meeting and called for the relevant records to be presented for further examination.