LAHORE: On Tuesday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) upheld the registrar’s office’s objection to former prime minister Imran Khan’s petition to overturn the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (PEMRA) ban on broadcasting his live and recorded addresses.
A day earlier, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) submitted a petition to the LHC objecting to the PEMRA notification. The registrar’s office, however, sent the petition back with reservations.
The PTI leader’s failure to include an attested copy of the PEMRA notification with the petition documents caused the office to object to the plea.
The registrar’s objection was then contested by the PTI, and Judge Shahid Bilal Hassan heard the case today.
Judge Hassan returned the PTI leader’s request after upholding the registrar’s office’s opposition when the case was discussed today.
Due to his “provocative statements against the state institutions and officers,” PEMRA on Sunday immediately banned the PTI chairman’s talks from airing on any satellite TV channels.
The judgement was made by PEMRA hours after the former prime minister, who was booted from office in April of last year following a no-confidence vote, made a forceful speech outside his Zaman Park mansion in Lahore following a police team’s raid to arrest him in the Toshakhana case.
The electronic media watchdog advised all TV channels not to air Khan’s live or taped statements, speeches, or chats in its announcement.
The PTI leader went to the LHC on Monday to ask to have the ban lifted.
However, the case was rejected by the LHC Registrar’s Office since the petitioner failed to include an attested copy of the PEMRA prohibition.
