SC tells SHC to quickly decide petition against Pemra

Channel’s licence cancellation case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has told the Sindh Hough Court to quickly decide a petition against Pemra by a private TV channel whose licence has been cancelled. 

The court sought record of company directors from the TV channel in the next hearing. Headed by Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh, and comprising Justice Qazi Faiz Esa, and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah heard the case Tuesday. 

Justice Esa asked who are the directors of the channel and was it being run without security clearance. Pemra Chairman Absar Alam said the channel was given security clearance during the caretaker government. He said Pemra had received a security clearance letter from an ISI senior official but later the Interior Ministry cancelled the clearance. 

He said one out of four directors of the company was not given security clearance. The channel’s lawyers Anwar Mansoor and Babar Awan told the court that they had not hidden anything from the court. They said Pemra has gone all out against only one channel, proof of which is presence of all Pemra top officials in the court. 

The court put off hearing till May 16 and called attorney general or his representative for help in the case.