A fourth petition has been filed in the high courts challenging the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) ban order. The petitions list as respondents the PEMRA chairman and director general, as well as the federal government through the secretaries of the interior, law, and parliamentary affairs.
The petitions argue for the suspension, annulment, and declaration of the PEMRA notification as illegal.
According to the notification issued by the electronic media regulator on Tuesday, news channels are prohibited from broadcasting material about ongoing court cases until a final verdict is reached.
The media regulatory authority’s ban includes directives for news channels to limit their coverage to information that serves the public interest. PEMRA has explicitly instructed media outlets to refrain from expressing opinions on subjudice cases.
The authority has also cautioned against discussing ongoing court cases in TV programs in a manner that could influence investigations or trials.
PEMRA has stressed that only information deemed necessary for the public will be permitted for dissemination through media channels. This measure aims to prevent media coverage from affecting the judicial process and to ensure that public discourse on legal matters remains fair and unbiased.
