Pakistan's regulatory authority bans live broadcast of Imran Khan's speech

Pakistan’s media regulatory authority has banned the broadcasting of live speeches of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan for threatening an Islamabad police official and a female magistrate during an address in Islamabad.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said that Imran’s recorded speech would only be permitted to be aired after an effective delay mechanism to ensure effective monitoring and editorial control.

“...Chairman PEMRA in view of the above-mentioned background and reasons, in exercise of delegated powers of the Authority vested in Section 27(a) of the PEMRA Ordinance 2002 as amended by PEMRA (Amendment) Act 2007, hereby prohibits the broadcast of live speech of Mr Imran Khan on all satellite TV channels with immediate effect,” the PEMRA said in its notification.

PEMRA imposed this ban on all satellite channels hours after he vowed to file cases against Islamabad’s inspector-general, deputy inspector general, and female magistrate for “torturing” Shahbaz Gill.

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“We will not spare the IG and DIG,” he said while addressing the public gathering at Islamabad’s F-9 park.

The former prime minister called out Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry, who last week had approved Gill’s two-day physical remand at the request of the capital police, and said she too should prepare herself as the case will also be registered against her, Geo News reported.

The PTI took out the rally in Islamabad in support of the incarcerated leader Shahbaz Gill, who the party said was subjected to alleged “gruesome torture” in police custody.

He further went on to say that if a case can be registered against Gill, then, Fazlur Rehman, Nawaz Sharif, and Rana Sanaullah will also face judicial proceedings.

Khan maintained that what happened with Gill wasn’t because of what he said since coalition leaders in the government had “said much more than that to really deal damage to the army”.

Earlier on Saturday, Khan connected the current situation in Pakistan to the chief of army staff’s appointment and termed it “unfortunate” that everything in the country was happening over one appointment.

In a conversation with social media influencers in the federal capital, the former Prime Minister said that the army chief should be appointed on the basis of merit.

“A drama begins on the appointment of army chief which does not happen in any part of the world,” said the PTI chief.

Gill was arrested by the police on August 9 after he made controversial remarks against the Pakistan army on television that were deemed as “highly hateful and seditious” by the country’s media authority.

Imran’s close aide was arrested on charges of colluding with a private TV news channel in carrying out anti-state propaganda.

• Pakistan