The entire LHC bench will listen to Imran’s argument against the Pemra ban.
Several days after the suspension of the ban order, the LHC Chief Justice forms a three-member bench.
In order to hear PTI leader Imran Khan’s appeal against the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s decision to forbid all satellite TV channels from airing his speeches and press conferences, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday assembled a three-member bench.
On March 13, a three-member full bench, presided over by LHC CJ and consisting of Justices Shams Mehmood Mirza and Sajid Mehmood Sethi, will hear the petition (tomorrow).
Days after the court suspended Pakistan PEMRA’s order, the full bench is now being assembled. After accepting the PTI leader’s request for the formation of a full bench and sending the case to the chief justice of the LHC, Justice Mirza had announced the suspension of the order.
Imran noted that the IHC previously overturned a similar prohibition order in the petition and named the media regulator and the authority’s director (operations, broadcast media) as respondents.
According to the petition, Pemra had “exceeded the jurisdiction vested in it and without having regard to the constitutional rights guaranteed under Articles 19 and 19-A of the Constitution” when it issued the order. It further contended that the authority was not empowered to issue a blanket prohibition order, which appears to be “in violation of the principle of proportionality”.
Following his criticism of former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa for allegedly “protecting incumbent rulers in their alleged corruption cases,” the media watchdog last week imposed a “immediate effect” ban on Imran’s speeches and press conferences.
Pemra referred to earlier orders where all licensees were told to “refrain from telecasting any content against state institutions” in the prohibition order.
Imran was accused by the authority of making “baseless accusations and inciting hatred through his provocative statements against state institutions and officers, which is prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order and is likely to disturb public peace and tranquility” in his speeches and statements.
According to Pemra, licensees broadcast the content without properly utilizing the time delay mechanism, breaking both the authority’s laws and rulings from the apex court.
The order stated: “Therefore, the competent authority, i.e. chairman Pemra in view of the aforementioned background and reasons, in exercise of delegated powers of the authority vested in Section 27(a) of the Pemra Ordinance 2002 as amended by Pemra (Amendment) Act 2007, hereby prohibits broadcast/rebroadcast of speech(s)/press talks(live or recorded) of Imran Khan on all satellite TV channels with immediate effect.
