Pak govt. suspends licence of ARY news; imposes fine

Nearly four months after it suspended GEO TV, the Pakistan government has suspended the licence of another news channel. ARY News has been suspended for 15 days by PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulation Authority). Along with suspension the channel has been slapped with a fine of Rs. 10 million.

Soon after this decision, ARY News ran a report saying that PEMRA authority held a meeting on Monday with an intention to teach a lesson to ARY News, for bringing facts before the people. The report also said that the meeting decided to suspend the license of ARY News for 15 days, in which the controversial PEMRA Chief, Pervez Rathore played a key role.

Reports suggest that the suspension and fine have been imposed on ARY news as it ran a critical programme against the nation’s judicial system. The regulatory body has also banned Mubhashir Lucman’s show Khara Sach. On Tuesday, ARY News CEO Salman Iqbal appeared before the Lahore High Court.

This move of PEMRA is being opposed by several, including International Human Rights organizations. Amnesty International’s Pakistan researcher Mustafa Quadri tweeted: “Condemn in strongest terms PEMRA ban of @mubasherlucman & @ARYNEWSOFFICIAL an unjustified violation of the right to freedom of expression.”

Also, an ARY News report quoted him as saying: “The ban on ARY is a sobering reminder of the threat of criminal prosecution on the basis of overly broad contempt of court or anti-state provisions. Journalists in Pakistan are under attack from all sides, facing harassment, even abduction and killings for carrying out their work.”

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri has called this decision similar to stifle media freedom.

Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ) too, has called for an immediate restoration on ARY News. The committee wrote a letter to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday.

‘The Committee to Protect Journalists is writing to express its deep concern over the recent decision by Pakistan’s broadcast regulator to suspend the privately owned ARY News, which is watched by millions in the country,’ the committee wrote, while urging the government to restore the channel immediately.

It further wrote: ‘Such action would be in keeping with the commitments you made to our delegation, when it visited Islamabad in March, to help improve press freedom in Pakistan.’

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About Suyash Karangutkar

Suyash Karangutkar is a young, dedicated and an enthusiastic journalist who has a deep interest in National and International Affairs. He is an ardent political spectator who finds politics fascinating. At Spectralhues, he heads the Mumbai team and covers National Affairs & Politics. He also occasionally writes columns for Spectralhues. He can be followed on Twitter @columnistsuyash