ISLAMABAD: Soon after the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) prohibited the broadcast and re-broadcast of speeches and press conferences of former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan on all satellite TV channels, the federal government on Saturday lifted the ban with immediate effect by implementing Section 5 of PEMRA Act.
The regulatory body, in a statement, had said that airing “hateful, slanderous, vilifying and unwarranted statements” against the country’s leadership and state institutions is in sheer violation of Article 19 of the Constitution.
It said that Imran Khan has made aspersions against the state institutions by levelling baseless allegations for orchestrating an assassination plan.
PEMRA said that airing of such content was likely to create hatred among the people or is prejudicial to maintenance of law and order or is likely to disturb public peace and tranquillity or endangers national security and it is a serious violation of Article 19 of the Constitution and Section 27 of PEMRA Ordinance 2002 as well as Electronic Media Code of Conduct 2015.
It warned the licence of a TV channel can be suspended in case of violation without any show cause notice in the public interest along with other enabling provisions of law.
However, the government lifted the ban in less than an hour after PEMRA issued its statement to the media.
The federal government, applying Section 5 of the PEMRA Act, directed the regulatory body to immediately remove the ban on the speeches for former PM.
