ISLAMABAD -  Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said Thursday that Pakistan will continue moral, political and diplomatic support of the Kashmiris’ struggle for the right to self-determination.

Talking to Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Muhammad Masood Khan, she said that the ministry of information was making all-out efforts to highlight the Kashmir issue at the international level.

She said that Pakistan has a principled stance regarding the Kashmir issue. She said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also highlighted the Kashmir issue at the United Nations in a bold way. She said that special representatives have been sent to important countries to highlight the Kashmir issue. Khan said that the Pakistani media has played a vital role in highlighting Indian forces brutalities in the held Kashmir. He said the media has also exposed the baseless and false claims of India about the surgical strikes. Matters pertaining to the upgradation of Azad Kashmir Radio Muzaffarabad and Azad Kashmir TV Muzaffarabad also came under discussion.

Meanwhile, the Standing Committee on Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage met under the chair of Pir Muhammad Aslam Bodla in the Parliament House.

The committee directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to provide requisite information to the National Assembly secretary who was a complainant on behalf of the National Assembly speaker in a complaint lodged with regulatory body against journalist Rauf Kalasra for casting aspersions on him in a programme on Channel 92 News.  The committee directed the PEMRA to expedite the hearing of the complaint through its council of complaints for an early decision.

The committee after hearing the points of view of the National Assembly secretary and  Kalasra directed the PEMRA chairman to provide attested copies of additional documents pertaining to the matter to the complainant for submitting rejoinder on the reply received from the respondent.  PEMRA Chairman Absar Alam  assured the committee that the required documents would be provided and the matter would be referred to the council of complaints, Karachi region, to hear the complaint as the tenure of the council of complaints, Islamabad region, has expired.