The government has suspended the license of private channel ARY News after it aired former PM Imran Khan’s speeches in Pakistan. Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan’s electronic media watchdog PEMRA banned the telecast of ‘live and recorded’ speeches of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on TV channels. ARY News had aired his speech a day earlier on Monday, despite a ban on broadcasting. After this move, the telecast of ARY News has now been stopped.
On March 5, the police had arrived to arrest former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan in the Toshekhan case. But he remained hidden in the house. The police could not arrest him due to the presence of thousands of supporters. A few hours later, Imran Khan came out of the house and addressed his supporters in Lahore. During this, he gave a provocative speech against the government and called the ‘Prime Minister’ even the ‘Crime’ minister. After taking action, TV channels were banned from showing them.
Suspending the license of #ARYNews is an attack on the freedom of press.#RestoreARYNews
#AryNewsLive@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL @Salman_ARY @Kashifabbasiary @ARYSabirShakir @WaseemBadami pic.twitter.com/ma4zIsxaqN— չ๏๒เץค (@bia13z) March 6, 2023
PEMRA warns
Afzal Butt said that there is no provision in the law to penalize any channel without issuing a notice. He warned PEMRA to rectify its mistake, otherwise PFUJ would launch a nationwide protest. Meanwhile, it is being claimed that following the PEMRA order, other television channels also aired Imran Khan’s statement, but discriminatory action was taken against ARY News by the Electronic Media Authority.
ban on broadcast of speech
Earlier, the regulatory authority PEMRA said in an order, ‘It has been observed that PTI Chairman Imran Khan is continuously making baseless allegations and spreading hatred through his provocative statements against the country’s institutions and officials in his speeches.’ As per the order, telecast of hateful, defamatory and unwarranted statements against the institutions of the country is a gross violation of Article 19 of the Constitution and a judgment of the Supreme Court.
appealed to the public to come on youtube
The news channel has taken to social media and appealed to its viewers to watch the broadcast on YouTube. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has strongly condemned the suspension of ARY News aired on Monday. Reacting to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s action to suspend the license of ARY News, PFUJ President Afzal Butt said that PEMRA was “violating” the laws.