LAHORE:- The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) challenged the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (Pemra) restriction on airing PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s remarks and comments on Monday.
Lawyer Ahmed Pansuta, the ousted premier’s counsel, filed the petition before the LHC and included Pemra as a party.
The petition argued that the speech prohibition violated basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution. “The Pakistani Constitution guarantees people’ freedom of speech,” it stated. “A prohibition on free speech would cause instability and political unrest in the nation, and the country cannot afford disorder in the present political environment.” In the petition, the PTI adopted this stance.
The petition also claims that just three of the 13 members issued the ban notice, despite the fact that the Pemra Act requires at least five members’ permission before banning.
Earlier on Sunday, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) prohibited the transmission of any lectures, talks, or public addresses delivered by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supremo Imran Khan.
The regulatory authority noted in a statement that the PTI chairman has made false claims against state institutions in his remarks, “which is prejudicial to the preservation of law and order and is liable to disrupt public peace and serenity.”
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Pemra has mandated that no PTI chief comments, speeches, or discussions, whether recorded or live, or press conferences, be shown on satellite television networks.
The decision to prohibit the transmission of Imran’s statements was issued by the regulator in accordance with Section 27 of the Pemra Ordinance 2002. “Airing of unsubstantiated claims, hostile, slanderous, and unjustified statements against state institutions and personnel are blatant violations of Article 19 of the Constitution,” it said.
The decision by the media watchdog to prohibit the transmission of Imran Khan’s remarks is not unprecedented. In reality, the media regulator imposed a similar restriction on August 21 of last year. The blanket ban was imposed after Imran reportedly threatened Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry, as well as the IG and DIG of the Islamabad Police. The claimed statements occurred after the court ordered Imran’s assistant Shahbaz Gill to be held in police custody for two days.
Imran Khan appealed the speech restriction in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which reversed the ruling on September 6, 2022.
Nevertheless, on November 5, the same year, Pemra banned Imran’s press briefings once again. The regulatory board took this action after Imran accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and a top intelligence officer, identified as Major General Faisal Naseer, of planning to kill him at his first news conference after the assassination attempt. Imran urged their resignations immediately in order to facilitate a fair probe.
Nevertheless, the restriction was removed hours later when the government directed Pemra to do so, with Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb emphasising the government’s adherence to “democratic ideals and constitutional freedoms of speech.”