Take petition on 'de facto' ban on speeches on media to broadcast regulator: Pak court to Imran Khan

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A Pakistani court on Tuesday directed former prime minister Imran Khan to take his petition regarding "a de facto" ban on his speeches and display of his picture on the media to the broadcast regulator.

The Pakistani media -- both broadcast and print -- has been directed allegedly by the powerful army to ban the speeches, statements and images/pictures of Khan after the nationwide attacks on the military and state buildings by his party workers in reaction to his arrest on May 9 on corruption charges. Even uttering Khan's name in TV talk shows is banned.

Pakistan had been directly ruled for about half of its history by military generals. The Pakistan Army, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its 75-plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in matters of security and foreign policy.

"On a petition of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief regarding a de facto ban on the coverage of all material relating to him on the electronic media, Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Rasaal Hasan asked his (Khan) lawyer Sameer Khosa whether his client approached the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on this matter," a court official told PTI after the hearing.

When the advocate replied negatively "as his client thought the LHC is an appropriate forum to redress his grievances", the judge asked Khosa whether PEMRA had issued a directive banning Khan's speeches, statements and pictures/images on electronic media.

Khosa said it is clear that there is a misconceived ban in place on airing/broadcasting of any content regarding Khan who came to know about the curb through media reports.

"The fact of the ban is obvious from viewing the television screens where anchorpersons uttering the petitioner's name is censored and his name and images are removed from television screens," Khan's counsel said.

"As the petitioner failed to produce a specific notification of PEMRA on the matter, the judge directed him to take his petition to the PEMRA's Council of Complaints," the official said.

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In the petition, Khan said the impugned ban curbs his fundamental rights and also denies him the opportunity to publicly express his views to the members of his political party and the general public.

He said he is a former prime minister, a law-abiding citizen and has not been convicted or declared an absconder by any court of law.

He had asked the court to declare that PEMRA's general directive does not in any way require the de facto ban on the broadcast of his activities on electronic media.

After this undeclared ban, Khan is using the social media platforms -- YouTube and Twitter spaces -- to address the public and his party supporters ahead of general elections later this year.

The term of the current National Assembly will expire on August 14.

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