Pemra serves notice to channel over unverified report

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Monday issued a show cause notice to Geo News channel for airing an unverified news report regarding Pakistan’s Ambassador to US Jalil Abbas Jilani.

The Geo channel, in its news, said that Pakistan Ambassador to US had photographed with Mishal Obama, the wife of US President Barrak Obama, on parents day and released it on social media. The US administration had expressed its concern over it and asked to remove this photograph and Pakistani ambassador removed it from social media immediately.

The news added that Pakistan had been defamed globally by this practice of Pakistani ambassador and India had propagated it negatively. The US administration has reprimanded the Pakistani ambassador. After telecasting this news, Syed Jalil Abbas Jilani had written a letter to Pemra chairman stating that owing to irresponsibility of Geo News, India sized an opportunity to start propaganda against Pakistan. He categorically denied such an incident.

The letter further said that neither had he uploaded the picture on social media nor had US administration expressed such reaction. He said that owing to irresponsible act of private TV channel (Geo News), the country had been defamed globally and requested the Pemra to take action against it under Pemra rules and regulations.

On not receiving the satisfactory reply of show cause notice, the Pemra as per its rules and regulations can cancel the licence of private TV channel or impose fine of Rs1 million. Moreover the said private TV channel can apologise over the telecast of this news item.