Pemra fines two TV channels for misreporting

ISLAMABAD: The 60th meeting of Council of Complaints (CoC), Sindh was held at Pemra Regional Office Karachi.

The council heard the complaint lodged by Sohail Anwar Khan Siyal, Minister for Home, Agriculture and Mines, Sindh against two TV channels for airing baseless and defamatory content. Both channels failed to defend themselves before the council, therefore, the council recommended fine of Rs500,000 on each channel.

The CoC, while hearing the complaint lodged by JS Bank with regard to the appointment of Chairman JSBL Ali Jehangir Siddiqui as Ambassador of Pakistan in the United Sates, against a TV channel for misreporting and airing false, defamatory, and derogatory remarks, recommended fine of Rs300,000 and warned the channel to ensure responsible journalism.

The council while hearing the complaint of Dr Khan Azam Khan, president Pakistan Orthopaedic Association, against a TV channel on airing defamatory campaign against his hospital, deferred the matter as the complainant has filed a petition in the Sindh High Court (SHC).

Similarly, the matter pertaining to the violation of programming mix by a channel for airing programme produced by foreign entity, without prior permission of Pemra was also deferred as the licensee had filed a petition in the SHC.

The meeting was presided over by Professor Muhammad Inam Bari, while the members, Mrs Anjum Ara Sabahuddin, Mrs Lal Majid, Mazhar Ali Sahto, Mukesh Kumar and Ashfaq Jumani (Secretary CoC) were also present.