Pakistan's media watchdog's ban on reporting of ongoing court cases challenged in court

Lahore: A ban imposed by Pakistan's media watchdog on the reporting of the ongoing court cases in the country was challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on May 21 had placed a ban on TV news channels from airing news, opinion, and commentary on the proceedings of ongoing court cases.

The ban has been imposed to stop the airing of 'adverse comments' of judges in cases related to the intelligence agencies' meddling in judicial affairs and former prime minister Imran Khan.

Tensions between the military-backed government of Shehbaz Sharif and the judges of Islamabad High Court have been simmering over the alleged interference of intelligence agencies in judicial matters as the former accused the latter of coercing them to get desired verdicts in different cases especially related to Imran Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders.

The PEMRA notification was issued on the day when the Islamabad High Court grilled the country's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the alleged kidnapping of Kashmiri poet Ahmad Farhad.

The poet’s family has accused the ISI of abducting Farhad from his Islamabad residence for his critical social media posts that targeted the military during recent riots in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

During this case’s proceedings, the IHC chided the role of the ISI and directed the authorities concerned to produce the missing poet within four days, otherwise, it warned of summoning senior government officials including the prime minister.

Advocate Samra Malik on Thursday challenged the notification of PEMRA in the LHC terming it 'illegal and violative of Article-19 and 19-A of the Constitution.'

She requested the court to declare the 'illegal' notification of the media regulator null and void and suspend the notification till the final decision on the petition.

In its notification, PEMRA said: “TV channels are directed to refrain from airing tickers/headlines about court proceedings and shall only report the written orders of the court. Don't air content including commentary, opinions or suggestions about the potential fate of sub judice matter which tends to prejudice the determination by a court, tribunal.”

The journalist bodies have rejected PEMRA's ban, saying it violates the country’s Constitution.

A growing media censorship has been witnessed in Pakistan in recent times with many blaming the country's powerful military behind it.