Pemra slaps ban on live telecast of Imran Khan’s speeches

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority has put a ban on the broadcasting of live speeches of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on all satellite TV channels, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Sunday.

The media regulatory authority issued the directive late last night after Imran’s speech in Islamabad yesterday in which the PTI chief targeted police and judicial officers. The regulator directed the TV channels that they could telecast only recorded and edited speeches of Imran Khan and those would be allowed if a time-delay mechanism was to be observed. 

The Pemra relayed instructions to the TV channels regarding their editorial policy vis-à-vis a hate campaign against the state institutions. 

Addressing a public rally in federal capital yesterday, Imran Khan announced that the PTI would register cases against the IG and DIG of Islamabad police and Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry who granted physical remand of Shahbaz Gill despite the fact that he was subjected to “torture”.

In its notice, the Pemra said: “It has been observed that Mr Imran Khan, Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, in his speeches/statements is continuously alleging state institutions by leveling baseless allegations and spreading hate speech through his provocative statements against state institutions and officers which is prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order and is likely to disturb public peace and tranquility….ANDWHEREAS, airing of above referred hateful, slanderous and unwarranted statement against state institutions and officers are in sheer violation of Article 19 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan…” 

Sanaullah hints at taking action against Imran  

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the PTI chief had to face the law over his threats to a female magistrate, IG and DIG police in his speech on Saturday night.

He said that everybody saw live on their TV sets that Imran was hurling threats to police and judicial magistrate. He said that now Imran had to face the law. 

Sanaullah said that when we talked about Bushra Bibi and Farah Gogi, Imran suddenly remembered his ‘Islamic touch’. 

He said if we failed to implement the law, then Pakistan would turn into a jungle. 

“We will not let anybody run away from the grip of law who tried to incite mutiny in the Army. It cannot be allowed that a person disrespects the Shuhada, incites mutiny and challenges the state writ while standing in Islamabad,” Sanaullah said adding that if we ignored this behaviour, the fundamentalists and terrorists would be encouraged by this. 

The interior minister said that the government must take an action. 

Imran Niazi will have to face the law for threatening and hurling abuses at the Magistrate and Police officers. Such acts of brazen thuggery are responsible for instigating extremism in society. You [IK] are not allowed to challenge the writ of the state by inciting rebellion.

— Rana Sana Ullah Khan (@RanaSanaullahPK) August 20, 2022

Also Read: Imran says Gill is being tortured to spread terror among people

Coalition parties demand legal action 

Meanwhile, the coalition parties including PML-N, PPP, MQM-P and JUI-F condemned the threats hurled by Imran Khan to the judiciary and police demanding a legal action against the PTI chief and his companions. They said that threatening a female judge and intimidating police officers was deplorable. 

Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Pakistan Peoples Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan) Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) and others in a joint statement took strong exceptions to the derogatory speech made by Imran against the Additional District and Sessions Court Judge Zeba Chaudhry and Islamabad police officials.

The statement read that Imran Khan had uttered the name of the woman judge in the PTI rally and also intimidated her. Moreover, they also slammed the threatening language used against the Islamabad police officials

“Threats hurled are blatant bullying and violation of law. ‘Traitor’ is the one who plotted to incite mutiny in the Army and received the foreign funding,” read the statement.

The parties in the coalition government also asked the top judiciary to take legal action against Imran and his aides for threatening the female judge and interfering in the matters of interior ministry while intimidating the police officers performing their respective duties in accordance to law.

Banning @ImranKhanPTI speeches telecast is another attempt to find an administrative solution to a political problem. Will be challenged in court. Crises deepening by the day. Fascism on the rise. Alarm bells ringing. Who will take the lead for the solutuon? Supreme court?

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) August 21, 2022

نواز شریف کو اشتہاری ہونے کی وجہ سے پابندی کا سامنا ہے اور پوری دنیا میں Absconders کے حقوق کو محدود کیا جاتا ہے تا کہ انھیں قانون کا سامنا کرے پر مجبور کیا جائے عمران خان پر پابندی ان کی تقریر کے خوف سے لگائ جا رہی ہے اس پابندی سے صرف حکمران مزید Expose ہوئے ہیں اور کچھ نہیں https://t.co/jNtAGPHyeK

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) August 21, 2022

پیمرا نے الیکٹرانک میڈیا کو نوٹس جاری کردیے ہیں۔اہم ترین فیصلہ آنے سے پہلے سوشل میڈیا کے خلاف بھی اتھارٹی بن جائے گی۔یوٹیوبر کو بھی گھیرے میں لیا جانے والا ہے۔ن اور ش آمنے آنے والی ہیں۔ اسحاق ڈار کو ش نے روکا ہے۔کسی کو اہل اور کسی کو نااہل بنانے کے چکر میں بہت بڑا پھڈا ہو سکتا ہے

— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) August 21, 2022

بد زبان بے لگام فارن فنڈڈ عمران نیازی کی خاتون سیشن جج کو مجمع عام میں دھمکیاں انارکی اورتشدد کی ترغیب ھیں
یہ ملک کے ھرادارے کو تابع فرمان بنانا چاھتے ھیں
عمران خود کو ھراحتساب اورقانون سے بالاتر سمجھتے ھیں
جج کو کھلی دھمکیوں پرعدالتی ایکشن لازمی ھے

— Khawaja Saad Rafique (@KhSaad_Rafique) August 21, 2022

Reporter Awais Kiyani