The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has suspended the licence of the ARY News for broadcasting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s statement in the 9:00 p.m. headline slot. The PEMRA took action against ARY News immediately after imposing a ban on Imran Khan’s speeches and media statements following a notice issued at 8:30 p.m.
The suspension order read, “It has been observed that M/s ARY Communications Ltd. (ARY News) on March 5, 2023, in its news bulletin at 9:00 p.m. aired clips of Mr. Imran Khan’s speech delivered at Zaman Park, Lahore, today. ARY News aired referred content in willful defiance of the Prohibition Order.”
The notification states that reference is invited to Prohibition Order dated March 5, 2023, wherein all the licensees were advised to refrain from airing, broadcasting, or rebroadcasting any speech(s) or press talks (live or recorded) of Mr. Imran Khan on their respective TV stations with immediate effect.
PEMRA claimed that ARY Communications Ltd. (ARY News) aired excerpts of Imran Khan’s address given at Zaman Park in Lahore. The content that was willfully disobeying the Prohibition Order was mentioned on the news channel.
The statement continued that, with the foregoing in mind, the competent authority, i.e., the Chairman PEMRA, in the exercise of powers vested in Section 30(3) of the PEMRA Ordinance 2002 as amended by the PEMRA (Amendment) Act 2007, hereby suspends the broadcast satellite TV channel licence granted to M/s ARY Communications Ltd. (ARY News) with immediate effect, until further orders.
Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was previously banned from giving “live and recorded” speeches and news conferences. This restriction is currently in effect across all satellite TV networks in Pakistan.
The regulatory body issued a notification stating, “It has been observed that Imran Khan [Chairman PTI] is continuously alleging state institutions by levelling 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 tranquilly.
