On
Sunday, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) issued a
directive to immediately prohibit the airing and re-airing of speeches and
press talks given by the PTI chief, Imran Khan, on all satellite TV channels.
The ban was imposed just hours after the PTI chairman
delivered a speech to party workers outside his residence in Lahore's Zaman
Park, in which he stated that he had never submitted to any person or
institution and vowed to ensure that his followers did not do so either. Imran
Khan also criticized government officials, accusing them of hiding their wealth
overseas and receiving legal protection from former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar
Javed Bajwa.
According to a copy of the prohibition order available on
Dawn.com, the regulator cited previous directives instructing all licensees to
avoid broadcasting any content that criticizes state institutions. The
authority stated that Imran Khan, in his speeches and statements, was making
unfounded accusations and spreading hate speech through provocative statements
aimed at state institutions and officials. This behavior, according to the
regulator, is harmful to maintaining law and order and has the potential to
disrupt public peace and tranquility.
Pemra stated that
licensees had broadcasted Imran Khan's speeches without utilizing the time
delay mechanism effectively, which is a violation of the authority's laws and
previous judgements by the apex court. Therefore, the chairman of Pemra, in
exercise of delegated powers under Section 27(a) of the Pemra Ordinance 2002,
as amended by Pemra (Amendment) Act 2007, has ordered the prohibition of
broadcasting or rebroadcasting any recorded or live speeches/press talks of
Imran Khan on all satellite TV channels immediately. The authority also
directed all satellite TV channels to establish an impartial editorial board to
ensure that no one uses their platform to make contemptuous remarks against any
state institution or create hate speech that can be prejudicial to the law and
order situation in the country. Failure to comply may result in the suspension
of the license under Section 30 of the Pemra Ordinance 2002 without any show
cause notice in public interest.
This is not the
first time Pemra has banned Imran Khan's speeches. In 2022, Pemra imposed a
blanket ban on live coverage of Imran's speeches after he allegedly threatened
a judge and police officers. The ban was later set aside by the Islamabad High
Court. Pemra again banned Imran's press conferences in November 2022 after he
made accusations against government officials without evidence. However, the
ban was lifted a few hours later following government instructions.
Reacting to the
ban, PTI's Fawad Chaudhry accused the government of panicking and attempting to
silence Imran Khan's voice. Fawad Chaudhry, a member of the PTI,
announced that his party would challenge the ban on Imran Khan's speeches in
court, and he encouraged the media industry to take a similar stand against the
ban.
PTI leader Ali Haider Zaidi expressed his opinion on the
ban, stating that using Pemra as a political tool and banning leaders such as
Imran Khan would not solve the issues Pakistan currently faces.
According to PTI's Omar Ayub Khan, the current government
has panicked and he believes that if the government thinks that banning Imran
Khan's speeches through Pemra will make a difference, they are mistaken and
living in a world of 25 years ago. He added that the world and media channels
have transformed, implying that the ban would not be effective.
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