Pakistan’s electronic media watchdog has barred TV broadcasters from broadcasting 11 people, including journalists, accused of criticizing the military and the former administration led by Shehbaz Sharif and branded proclaimed offenders or absconders by courts.
On Saturday, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) issued a directive, citing a Sindh High Court judgment that such people do not have the right to appear on television.
Section 27 of Pemra Ordinance 2002 additionally states “hereby prohibits media coverage of above-mentioned individuals being proclaimed offenders on electronic media and refrain from airing any news, reports, statements or tickers of these individuals”.
Pemra has reported the subject to the Council of Complaints while warning news outlets of severe consequences if the mandate is violated.
Sabir Shakir, Moid Peerzada, Wajahat Saeed Khan, Shaheen Sehbai, Adil Farooq Raja, Ali Nawaz Awan, Murad Saeed, and Hammad Azhar, are among the 11 individuals.
Shakir, Peerzada, Saeed Khan, and Sehbai are journalists who support former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was deposed in April last year after clashing with the powerful military establishment.
Khan’s government included Saeed, Awan, and Azhar.
Adil Farooq Raja is a former Army major who lives in the United Kingdom and has been strongly critical of the Army’s treatment of Khan.
These individuals have been implicated in various cases, a common method used to suppress opponents in Pakistan, and have been labeled ‘proclaimed offenders’ for failing to appear before courts. They are thought to have fled the country to avoid arrests.
The Sharif-led government’s tenure ended on August 9 when he dissolved the National Assembly, paving the way for a neutral caretaker administration to manage the country until the next general elections.
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