Private TV channel violated rules during Faizabad sit-in coverage, SC told

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday, while hearing suo moto case on Faizabad Interchange dharna by Tehreek-e-Labaik, rejected and declared report of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) unsatisfactory and ordered it to submit new detailed report till next hearing.

Justice Qazi Faez Isa questioned what kind of action Pemra had taken on negative media coverage of dharna. He said that the report was filled with advertisements and other notices but there was no mention of questions asked by the court.

The woman representative of Pemra replied that the Authority had submitted report in this regard and currently there was no chairman of Pemra. Justice Qazi Faez Isa objected to the submitted report and said if she knew English and it was not a proper way to prepare a report. At this, Attorney General requested the court to allow Pemra to withdraw the submitted report.

The court said that it was told in the Pemra report that 92 news channels had violated Pemra rules during live covering of Faizabad sit-in and showed an injured policeman and gave provocative comments. Justice Qazi Faez Isa inquired who the owner of that channel was and whether Pemra had taken any action against him in this regard.

At this, the representative of Pemra said that no individual notice was issued to the channel, however, Pemra had ordered that all the channels should be suspended and that order was implemented. The court said whether it was the decision of the Pemra not to take any action against channels violating laws.

Justice Mushir Alam asked if it was necessary to seek permission from Authority for taking action against any channel. The representative said that Pemra chairman was given authority by Pemra to take action against any channel. Justice Qazi Faez Isa asked whether show cause notice was issued to channel or suspended its licence. He said that Pemra should tell court about its power from its book.

The court said that the Pemra was an independent body and it could also take action against state-run TV but it did nothing. The court said if it was not tantamount to act of deceiving. The court said if such acts to be done, the rules of Pemra should be disbanded.

Justice Qazi Faez Isa said that the court did not want to give message to anyone that it was going to take action against someone but this was not the first incident. He said that the court hoped that this incident of paralysing the state would be proved last one. The court was told that currently 99 channel was functioning.