ARY Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Salman Iqbal and others have been booked while ARY Head of News Ammad Yousaf arrested after the controversial remarks of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shehbaz Gill in a news program.
According to the FIR, producer Adeel Raja, Head of News Ammad Yousaf, anchorpersons Arshad Sharif and Khawar Ghumman have also been nominated in the case.
The case has been registered in Karachi’s Memon Goth Station on behalf of the state by Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Attequr Rehman. Sections 121, 506, 505, 153, 153-A, 131, 124-A, 120, 34 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code have been added in the FIR.
According to the FIR, a clip of a news bulletin had gone viral on social media in which Shehbaz Gill had made “hateful remarks” against the Pakistan Army on August 8. It also said that Arshad Sharif and Khawar Ghumman had participated as analysts.
The FIR said that PTI and ARY News clearly created divide between the sections of armed forces. It also said that they were sowing “hatred and rebellion in the armed forces”.
According to a report by a TV channel, Ammad Yousaf was arrested in Karachi on Tuesday night from his residence at DHA Karachi.
Earlier, Pakistan Electronic and Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) issued a show cause notice to ARY News over the matter.
Shehbaz Gill was also arrested by Islamabad police under sedition charges. In today’s hearing, a court granted the police with two-day physical remand of Shehbaz Gill.
