ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s electronic media regulator on Saturday banned television channels from telecasting or re-telecasting speeches or media talks of former prime minister Imran Khan, saying airing of such content would create hatred among people and National security would be at risk.
The Pakistan Electronic Media and Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has warned that it will suspend the broadcasting license in case of any violation. “In case of any contravention, the license is liable to be suspended along with other enabling provisions of the law in the public interest without any show cause notice,” the PEMRA said in a notification.
The regulator also said that Khan made “baseless allegations against government institutions for plotting murder” in speeches during his march and in an address from the hospital the day before.
The media regulator said airing such content violates several laws and is likely to create “hatred among people”. Such a violation is also likely to cause a breach of public peace or endanger national security.
Khan (70), the president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party, suffered a bullet injury in his right leg when two gunmen opened fire on him in the Wazirabad area of Punjab province on Thursday.
Khan was leading a protest march against the Shahbaz Sharif-led government at the time of the incident. In August, the same regulator banned the live telecast of Khan’s speeches on all satellite TV channels with immediate effect. However, the ban was struck down by the Islamabad High Court in September.
