PEMRA Ban
The Sindh High Court has taken decisive action against the ban imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on the broadcasting of speeches made by Imran Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
In a significant move, the court has suspended this prohibition and also expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of a legal representative from the federal government during the proceedings.
PEMRA had instituted the ban on Imran Khan’s speeches on May 31, citing the dissemination of “baseless allegations and hate speech against state institutions.” The media regulatory body accused TV channels of broadcasting such content without utilizing the time-delay mechanism, which it argued violated both PEMRA laws and judgments of the Supreme Court.
In related developments, an Islamabad accountability court issued arrest warrants for Imran Khan in cases involving the Toshakhana and the 190-million-pound Al-Qadir Trust. The court directed the jail superintendent to take legal measures to ensure compliance with the warrants. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) promptly filed an application for Imran Khan’s arrest and sought immediate action.
The high court, while not suspending or issuing a standing order, prompted the NAB to request warrants and instruct the jail superintendent to take action against the PTI chief. Simultaneously, NAB presented Bushra Bibi, the former first lady, with an 11-question questionnaire in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case.
The questions addressed her relations with Farah Gogi, reasons for creating the trust, her involvement in jurisprudence or pedagogy courses, and continued benefits from Al-Qadir Trust. Bushra Bibi appeared at the NAB office for questioning, underscoring the intensifying legal scrutiny surrounding PTI leadership.
