PEMRA’s PTI Coverage Ban Suspended Again, SHC Demands Decision in Six Weeks
On September 3, the Sindh High Court (SHC) directed its single-judge bench to deliver a final verdict within six weeks on the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (PEMRA) ban on media coverage of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its leadership. This decision came as a division bench, led by Chief Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Jawad Akbar Sarwana, dismissed PEMRA’s intra-court appeal against an earlier ruling and temporarily suspended the ban.
PEMRA initially imposed the media blackout following the May 9, 2023, protests, during which PTI supporters were accused of attacking public property and threatening national security. The regulatory body’s directive, issued on May 31, called for a halt in coverage of PTI and its founder, Imran Khan, citing fears that such media exposure could inflame tensions. However, the SHC’s single-judge bench suspended PEMRA’s order in November 2023, leading to a prolonged legal battle.
During the appeal hearing, the division bench expressed concerns over PEMRA’s significant delay in providing reasons for its initial actions. The court noted that it took nearly seven months for PEMRA to present its justification, which was not submitted until June 2024. The bench also observed that the interim suspension of the ban had yet to be resolved and criticized the lengthy delays in the case.
PEMRA’s counsel argued that the single-judge bench had effectively settled the entire case by suspending the notification. However, the division bench refrained from making a definitive comment, stating that such remarks could unduly influence the ongoing legal proceedings. In its final ruling, the court emphasized the urgency of the matter and instructed that the injunction application be heard and decided without further delay.
The legal dispute traces back to August 2023, when a PTI activist filed a lawsuit challenging PEMRA’s May 31 directive. The plaintiff argued that the media blackout violated constitutional rights, particularly freedom of speech and access to information. Following the PTI founder’s incarceration after his conviction in the Toshakhana case, the lawsuit sought to lift the restrictions that PEMRA had issued under the guise of safeguarding national security.
PEMRA’s letter, which cited the May 9 events as justification for the ban, described the protests as an attempt to destabilize Pakistan by attacking state institutions and public assets. Despite these assertions, the SHC found that PEMRA had failed to provide compelling evidence to justify such a sweeping restriction on media coverage, leaving the outcome pending.
Source: Pakistan Press Foundation