Pak govt asks media watchdog to reverse ban on TV channels from airing Imran Khan's speeches

The decision was taken hours after the Pakistan Electronic Media and Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) prohibited the TV channels from broadcasting or rebroadcasting Khan's speeches and said airing such content would likely to create hatred among the people and endanger national security.

Islamabad: The Pakistan government of Saturday directed the country's electronic media watchdog to reverse the ban on television channels from broadcasting or rebroadcasting ousted premier Imran Khan's speeches or media talks, saying the government values the freedom of expression guaranteed in the Constitution.

The decision was taken hours after the Pakistan Electronic Media and Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) prohibited the TV channels from broadcasting or rebroadcasting Khan's speeches and said airing such content would likely to create hatred among the people and endanger national security. Information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the federal government using its special powers directed PEMRA to reverse the ban.

Our government believes in the democratic values, freedom of expression given in the Constitution, she said. Earlier, PEMRA said Khan during his long march speeches and a day ago in an address from hospital made aspersions against the state institutions by levelling baseless allegations for orchestrating an assassination plan.

The media watchdog said that airing such content violated several laws and was likely to create hatred among the people or was prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order or was likely to disturb public peace and tranquillity or endanger national security. Khan, 70, suffered a bullet injury in the right leg when two gunmen fired a volley of bullets at him in the Wazirabad area of Punjab province on Thursday, where he was leading a protest march against the Shehbaz Sharif government.

Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, alleged in his address to the nation on Friday from hospital that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer were part of a sinister plot to assassinate him in the same way as former Punjab governor Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 by a religious extremist.

Prime Minister Shehbaz demanded Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial constitute a full court commission to probe the allegations levelled by Khan. He said Khan is a "liar from head to toe" and is trying his best to destroy Pakistan.

The Pakistan Army has also dismissed the ousted premier's remarks as "absolutely unacceptable". "The baseless allegations hurled at the institution/officials today are highly regrettable and strongly condemned," it said. This is the second time that PEMRA took action against the airing of Khan's speeches.

In August, the same regulator had imposed a ban on broadcasting Khan's live speeches on all satellite TV channels with immediate effect. However, in September, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) overturned the ban. Since he was ousted from power in April, the cricketer-turned politician has repeatedly claimed that the no-trust motion against him was the result of a "foreign conspiracy". (PTI)