ISLAMABAD: Pemra has ordered news broadcasters to not display 11 “proclaimed offenders” or absconders, including former military and media professionals.
While, Pemra prohibited 11 politicals and journalists from airing on Saturday.
Moreover, Media Watchdog cited a Sindh High Court (SHC) constitutional petition finding that such people cannot appear on television.
Pemra names:
Pakistani-British political pundit, geostrategic expert, and TV journalist Moeed Peerzada. Anchor: Syed Akbar Hussain Shah, Anchor Sabir Shakir., Wajahat Saeed Khan: US-based Pakistani journalist among them. Moreover, YouTuber and social media activist Adil Farooq Raja, Geopolitical and journalist Haider Raza Mehdi. Shaheen Sehbai—Pakistani-American journalist are also some of them. While, Ali Nawaz Awan: PTI member and former National Assembly member and Murad Saeed, PTI member also included. While, PTI West Punjab president Farrukh Habib, Former energy minister and PTI leader Hammad Azhar.
Section 27 of the Pemra Ordinance 2002 prohibits media coverage of declared offenders.
Section 27 of the ordinance states: “The Authority shall by order in writing, providing reasons therefore, prohibit any broadcast media or distribution service operator from —
(a) broadcasting, re-broadcasting, or distributing any programme or advertisement if it believes it is against Pakistan’s ideology, likely to incite hatred, prejudicial to law and order, likely to disturb public peace and tranquilly, endangers national security, pornographic, obscene, vulgar, or offensive to commonly accepted standards of decency.
(b) abusing media influence by hurting another licensee’s legitimate interests or wilfully injuring another person.”
Moreover, The Saturday edict barred electronic media and broadcast news, reports, remarks, and tickers of these individuals.
