Telecast of Imran's speeches not banned, Pemra tells LHC

• LHC judge disposes of petitions pertaining to case.
• Directions in matter will be issued in detailed judgment.
• Govt, Pemra submitted their response in case.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court ordered the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) not to pressurise television channels into barring the telecast of speeches by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, The News reported on Friday.

The court's order came during the hearing of the petitions filed against the ban on the broadcast of Khan's addresses on TV. Pemra, however, denied the implementation of any such ban on electronic media.

LHC's Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza disposed of the petitions, observing that directions concerning telecasting the speeches of the PTI leader would be issued in a detailed judgment.

The federal government, the information ministry and other parties, including Pemra, have submitted their responses.

The PTI founder’s advocate Ahmad Pansota said it is a legal requirement for political parties to get airtime on the principle of equality. He said the high court has suspended the notification about the ban on telecasting the Khan’s speeches, and despite the court order, TV channels had been restrained from telecasting them.

Assistant Attorney General Sheraz Zaka said the Faizabad case judgment should be enforced on the PTI leader as he used derogatory speech against state institutions; therefore, his speeches were banned by the authority concerned.

In March last year, too, the LHC suspended Pemra's order, banning the broadcast of PTI founder's speeches.

The electronic media regulatory body had slapped a ban on the live broadcast of speeches by the deposed prime minister after he heaped scorn on state institutions amid drama over his arrest from Zaman Park in the Toshakhana case.

Subsequently, Khan filed a petition in the LHC for the annulment of the ban, accusing the regulatory authority of exceeding its constitutional powers by imposing the restriction.

After Pemra failed to adhere to the court's orders, Khan filed a contempt of court petition against the media watchdog in LHC. He claimed that Pemra — despite court orders — has not lifted the ban on his speeches.