Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Rules, 2009 (Pakistan)

ISLAMABAD: Following is the text of the Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Rules, 2009 issued on Saturday: “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: 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) “Proforma” means a proforma contained in the Schedule annexed with those Rules; (e) “Federal Government” means Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; (f) “Government” means and includes the Federal & 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; (I) “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 In-charge” 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) “Unauthorised Newspaper” means any newspaper in respect of which there is not for the time being, a valid declaration under section 6; (u) “Unauthorised News-Sheet” means any news-sheet other than a news-sheet published by a person authorised 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)”Unauthorised 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 registration/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 proforma alongwith 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 authorised officer on the prescribed proforma alongwith 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 for 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 C03 Misc Receipt Minor Object C038 Others Detail Object (New) C03886 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 the 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 scrutinised 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 days; (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. Similarly names/title in abbreviation like Mr, Sd, ABC etc for newspapers 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 publications. 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, scrutinise 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 authorised 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 authorised by him while performing official duties shall not be personally liable for any thing done in good faith.”