A parliamentary committee on Friday selected Ambreen Jan, a former information secretary, as the new chairperson of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), a move that would make her the first woman to head the country’s electronic media watchdog.
The position has been vacant since Mohammad Saleem Baig, appointed in 2018, retired last year.
The committee, chaired by lawmaker Shehbaz Babar, met to choose the new chief of the regulator that oversees television and radio broadcasters.
After the committee gave unanimous approval, Jan’s name was sent to President Asif Ali Zardari for confirmation, officials said.
Jan, a former Grade-22 civil servant, has previously served as managing director of state broadcaster Pakistan Television (PTV), director general of Radio Pakistan, and as press counsellor in Bangladesh between 2011 and 2018.
She was selected from among five shortlisted candidates, including Brigadier (retd) Anwar Ahmed, Mateen Haider, Irfan Ashraf and Dr Hamid Khan, according to the officials۔
