Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Rules, 2009

PRESS, NEWSPAPERS, NEWS AGENCIES AND

BOOKS REGISTRATION RULES, 2009

[Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, Part II,

19th June, 2009]

       S.R.O. 45(KE)/2009, dated 10-1-2009.---In exercise of the powers conferred under section 44 of the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance, 2002, (XCVIII of 2002), the  Federal Government  is  pleased  to  make  the following  rules, namely:--

1.    Short title, application and commencement.---(1) These Rules shall be called the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Rules, 2009.

       (2) These Rules shall come into force at once.

       (3) These Rules shall extend to whole of Pakistan.

PART - 1

PRELIMINARY

2.    Definitions.---(1) In these Rules, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context:--

       (a) "authenticated declaration" means a declaration made and subscribed under section 6 and authenticated or deemed  to have been authenticated under section 10 of the Ordinance;

       (b) "Book" includes every volume, part or division of a volume and pamphlet, in any language and every sheet of music map, chart or plan separately printed or lithographed;

       (c) "Editor" means the person who controls the selection of the matter that is published in a newspaper or is circulated by news agency and  whose  name  is  specified in  the  declaration  made  under  section 6;

       (d) "Pro forma" means a pro forma contained in the Schedule annexed with those Rules;

       (e) "Federal Government" means Ministry of Information and Broadcasting;

       (f) "Government" mean and includes the Federal and Provincial Government.

       (g) "Newspaper" means any printed periodical work containing public news or comments on public news and includes such other class of periodical works as the Government may by notification in the official Gazette declare to be the newspaper;

       (h) "News Sheet" means any document or poster other than a newspaper containing public news or comments on public news;

       (i) "Paper" means any document including a newspaper other than a book;

       (j) "Prescribed" means prescribed by those Rules.

       (k) "Printer" means a person who has made and subscribed a declaration under section 6 of the Ordinance;

       (l) "Printing press" means a press and includes all engines, machinery, types lithographic, implements, utensils and other plant or materials used for the purpose of printing.

       (m) "Press Registrar" means the Registrar appointed by the Federal Government under section 39 and includes any other person appointed by the Federal Government to perform all or any of the functions of the Press Registrar.

       (n) "Printed"  includes cyclostyling and printing by lithography;

       (o) "Province" includes the Islamabad Capital Territory;

       (p) "Publisher" means a person who makes and subscribes a declaration under section 6 of the Ordinance;

       (q) "Page  Incharge" means sub-editor or any person other than Editor designated by the editor or the publisher or the company or proprietor or the firm which owns the newspaper periodical or book published under the Ordinance;

       (r) "Register"  means the register of newspapers maintained under section 40 of the Ordinance;

       (s) "Rules" means rules made under the Ordinance;

       (t) "Unauthorized Newspaper" means any newspaper in respect of  which  there  is not  for  the  time  being  a  valid  declaration under section 6;

       (u) "Unauthorized News-Sheet" means any news-sheet other than a news-sheet published by a person authorized under the Ordinance;

       (v) "Unauthorised Press" means any press other than a press in respect of which there is not, for the time being a valid declaration under section 4 of the Ordinance;

       (w) "Unauthorized News Agency" means any news agency in respect of which there is not, for the time being, a valid declaration under section 6 of the Ordinance.

       (x) "Prescribed fee" means the fee prescribed and fixed for the application for obtaining NOC and for application for registrations/ renewal of the Publication's Certificate;

       (y) "Appeal" means an appeal provided under section 6 of these Rules.

       (z) "Ordinance" means Press Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance, 2002;

PART - II

3.    Application for obtaining NOC and issuance of Registration/ Renewal Certificates.---(1) The application for obtaining NOC for the title or name of the publication shall be submitted on the prescribed pro forma along with the requisite documents and paid copy of five hundred rupees as prescribed fee for NOC.

       (2) The application for issuance of Registration Certificate shall be submitted to the Press Registrar or its authorized officer on the prescribed pro forma along with the required documents, paid copy of prescribed fee of five hundred rupees and shall also submit the most recent seven issues in case of a daily and one issue in case of weekly, monthly etc. while applying its registration.

       (3) The fee for renewal of the Registration Certificates or acquiring a copy thereof would be five hundred rupees for the same publisher/owner.

       (4) The fee can be deposited in any branch of the State Bank of Pakistan or National Bank of Pakistan in the following accounts.

Major Object	C 03	Misc Receipt
Minor Object	C 038	Other
Detail Object (New)	C 03886	Fee for issuance of NOC and Registration/Renewal Certificate for Publications.

            (5) The NOCs or Registration Certificates would be dispatched to the publisher/owner on given address directly with a copy to the concerned PID Regional Office;

4.    Validity of Registration Certificate.---(1) The validity of the Registration Certificate shall be for three years from the date of issuance.

       (2) The renewal of the Registration Certificate shall be issued after assessment of the regularity standard and quality of the publication.

5.    Examination of the applications for obtaining NOC.---(1) All the applications submitted under the provisions of rule 3, shall be examined and scrutinized by the Deputy Press Registrar at Islamabad in order to ascertain whether the requirements for issuance of NOCs under these Rules have been fulfilled;

       (2) If it appears to the Deputy  Press Registrar that the requirements for issuance of NOCs under these Rules are not met, he shall inform the applicant and ask him to fulfil such requirements within a period of 15 day.

       (3) If the applicant fails to fulfil the requirements within the specified period the Deputy Press Registrar shall recommend rejection of the application to the Press Registrar and application fee so deposited shall be forfeited.

6.    Appeal.---(1) Any person, aggrieved by any order of the Press Registrar  under these  Rules  may  prefer  an  appeal  within  30  days from  the  date  of  the  order  to  the Islamabad  High  Court  at Islamabad.

7.    General Principles.---(1) The alphabets and words of the title/name particularly of those with more than one word, shall be of same size and style. Any deviation shall be liable to cancellation of registration;

       (2) A News Agency while submitting request for title shall make sure that the abbreviation of the title/name does not match with the abbreviation of any other News Agency;

       (3) The title/name with negative connotation, like JHOOT, BADMASH, FRAUD, BAIMANI, LA DEEN, etc. shall not be accepted for issuance of NOC. Similarily names/title in abbreviation like Mr. Sd. ABC etc. for news-papers shall not be accepted.

       (4) The applicant after the issuance of NOC shall apply for the authentication of the Declaration of the publication in the office of District Coordination Officer or, as the case may be, the Deputy Commissioner of the respective district within 15 days in case of Islamabad and within 20 days in case of other Districts, failing which the NOC shall stand cancelled;

       (5) An individual publisher shall be entitled to a maximum of three titles/names of publication. Any request by the same publisher for more than three, may be allowed after assessment of professional and financial competence of the applicant, and approval of the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting;

       (6) Till the time regional offices of the Press Registrar are established in the four provinces, the designated officer of the Regional Office of the Press Information Department (PID) shall receive, scrutinize and forward applications for NOCs of titles/names, of publications, to the Press Registrar;

       (7) The Provincial Information Departments shall forward the requests for NOCs of titles/names of Publications received by them to the head of PID Regional Offices in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Multan, Hyderabad and Gilgit, respectively for onward transmission to the Registrar Press. After establishment of regional offices of the Press Registrar; the applications/requests shall be forwarded to that office.

       (8) The publisher after issuance of Registration Certificate shall follow the criteria as mentioned in the schedule.

8.    Powers of the Press Registrar.---(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the Ordinance or any other law for the time being in force, the Press Registrar shall exercise the powers, so conferred upon him  under the Ordinance and these Rules.

       (2) The Press Registrar shall also exercise all such other powers, which are not expressly provided but which he deems fit and appropriate to run the affairs of the office of Press Registrar;

       (3) The Press Registrar shall have the powers to inquire into, investigate, assess or ascertain any act or omission, involved in the matter;

       (4) The  Press  Registrar  shall  have the  power  to  sue  and  be sued;

       (5) The Press Registrar shall have the power to appoint, engage, nominate  or constitute its authorized officers, representatives, attorneys and advocates to represent him in any civil or criminal proceedings initiated by or against him in the court of law;

       (6) Indemnity.---The Press Registrar or any officer authorized  by him while performing official duties shall not be personally liable for anything done in good faith.

SCHEDULE

PRO FORMA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF PUBLICATION

WITH OFFICE OF THE PRESS REGISTRAR

GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN

OFFICE OF THE PRESS REGISTRAR, MINISTRY

OF INFORAMTION AND BROADCASTING

ISLAMABABD

PRO FORMA FOR THE FRESH REGISTRATION

OF PUBLICATION

       The following particulars are being provided for the registration of publication with office of the Registrar Press:--

1.    Title of the Newspaper/Periodical_____________________

2.    Name and address of the owner/publisher of the Newspaper/ Periodical.______________________________________________

3.    Publishing from___________________________________

4. Language_____________5. Periodicity__________________

6. Name of the Publisher________________________________

7. Name of the Editor___________________________________

8. Name of the Printer and Printing Press (with address)_______

9. Average number of pages per week______________________

10. Number of days of publication in the year________________

11. Retail selling price per copy Rs.________________________

12. Date of authentication of the Title________________________

13. Date of Printing/Publishing.____________________________

REQUIREMENTS

*     Attested copies of the declarations of publisher and printer.

*     Attested copy of NIC of publisher/owner;

*     22 issues in a month, in case of a DAILY Newspapers;

*     03 issues in a month in case of a Weekly Newspaper

*     01 issue in a month, in case of a FORTNIGHTLY Newspaper;

*     01 issue in a month, in case of a MONTHLY Magazine;

*     01 issue in case of a QUARTERLY Magazine;

*     01 issue in case of a 6-MONTHLY Magazine;

*     01 issue in case of a YEARLY Magazine;

*     24 days release of stories in a month, in case of a News Agency

SIGNATURES OF OWNER/PUBLISHER

      Name_____________________________

GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN

OFFICE OF THE PRESS REGISTRAR

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

ISLAMABAD

PRO FORMA FOR THE REGISTRATION/RENEWAL

OF REGISTRATION OF PUBLICATION

       The following particulars are being provided for the registration of publication with office of the Registrar Press:--

1.    Title of the Newspaper/Periodical:_______________________

2.    Name and address of the owner/publisher of the Newspaper/ Periodical:___________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

3.    Publishing from:_______________________________________

4.    Language__________________5. Periodicity________________

6.    Name of the Publisher:__________________________________

7.    Name of the Editor:_____________________________________

8.    Name of the Printer and Printing Press (with address):________

      ____________________________________________________

9.    Average number of pages per week:____________________

10.  Number of days of publication in the year:__________________

11.  Retail selling price per copy Rs.___________________________

12.  Date of authentication of the title:_________________________

13.  Date of previous Registration:____________________________

14:   Date of Printing Publishing:_____________________________

REQUIREMENTS

*     Attested copies of the declarations of publisher and printer;

*     Attested copy of NIC of publisher/owner;

*     In case of a daily newspaper 66 issues; (22 issues per month);

*     In case of weekly newspaper 09 issues (03 issues per month);

*     In case of fortnightly newspaper 05 issues; (during 03 months);

*     In case of monthly magazine 03 issues;

*     In case of a quarterly magazine 02 issues;

*     In case of a 6 monthly for printing less than 01 issues;

*     In case of a news agency 72 working days; (24 days in a month)

                                      SIGNATURES OF OWNER/PUBLSIHER

                                   Name______________________________

Dated……………..    Telephone/Mob.______________________

GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN

OFFICE OF THE PRESS REGISTRAR

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING

ISLAMABAD

CREDENTIALS OF APPLICANT FOR TITLE OF A NEWSPAPER/PUBLICATION

*    NAME:____________________________________________

*     FATHER/HUSBAND NAME___________________________

*    ADDRESS___________________________________________

      ____________________________________________________

*     TELEPHONE NO:_____________MOBILE NO:____________

*     PRESENT PROFESSION_____________________________

*     SOURCE OF FUNDING (Affidavit)__________________

*     BANK NAME AND ACCOUNT NO._____________________

*     ID CARD NO.(Attested Copy)___________________________

*     QUALIFICATION (Attested Copy):______________________

*     EXPERIENCE IN JOURNALISM (Attested copy)__________

      ____________________________________________________

                                                    SIGNATURES OF APPLICANT

Date__________________

REQUIREMENTS

       Attested copy of CNIC:

       Attested copy of academic qualification:

       Original copy of experience in journalism:

       Original Affidavit (source of funding/income)

SPECIMEN OF AFFIDAVIT FOR N.O.C. OF TITLE OF

NEWSPAPERS, PERIODICALS AND BOOKS ETC.

AFFIDAVIT

       I____________S/o, D/o___________NIC No._____________ resident of__________________do hereby solemnly affirm and declare on oath:

*     That I am the sole proprietor/partner of the newspaper/publication entitled___________________________ in______________from_____________

·     That I have passed_______________Examination from________

University/Board in the year___________________________

*     That I have associated/worked in Daily/Weekly/Fortnightly/ Monthly______________for a period of______________years from________ to_____________

*     That my financial position is very sound and will bear the expenditure to be incurred on the printing and publication of the  __________from __________

*.    That I will abide by all the rules and regulations laid down in the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Book Registration Ordinance, 2002 and the Constitution of Pakistan regarding the printing and publication of news-papers, periodicals and book etc.

*.    That I will not publish any material against the ideology/ sovereignty of Pakistan, Armed Forces, contemptuous to the Courts and the supremacy of Islam.