Absar Alam may be made Pemra chief

LAHORE: The government has decided to appoint senior journalist Absar Alam as chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra).
A committee formed for appointment of Pemra chairman has completed interviews of 38 candidates. Some of those interviewed include senior journalist Absar Alam, IG Islamabad police Tahir Alam, Iftikhar Ahmad Mir, Zafar Abbas and others.
According to sources, Information Secretary Azam Khan, who is going to retire on Oct 10, 2015, had also applied for the coveted slot of Pemra chief.
An advertisement for hiring the new Pemra chief was published in newspapers two months back. The government had also informed the Islamabad High Court in the former Pemra chief Chaudhry Rasheed termination case that the post would be advertised in newspapers and he (Ch Rasheed) may also apply for reappointment.
Over a 100 applications were received for the post and 48 candidates were short-listed for interviews. The committee interviewed 18 candidates on Sept 29, and 30 on Sept 30. According to official sources, senior journalist Absar Alam emerged as the strongest candidate for the post and his name has been finalised as the new Pemra chief. The second strongest candidate was IG Islamabad Tahir Alam.
On the other hand, former Pemra chief Chaudhry Rasheed has decided to challenge the appointment of new chairman in the IHC. The counsel for Ch Rasheed claims that the government could not appoint a new Pemra chairman till the court verdict on all writ petitions, filed by Ch Rasheed in this regard.