By Special Correspondent
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court will take up a petition of PTI chief Imran Khan today (Tuesday) challenging a ban imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority on the broadcast of his speeches and press talks.
Initially, Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan will hear arguments on the objection raised by the registrar office to Imran Khan’s application a day earlier. The Lahore High Court’s registrar office noted that the petitioner did not enclose an attested copy of the PEMRA ban.
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) had slapped the ban after Imran lashed out at former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa for, what he called, protecting incumbent rulers in their alleged corruption cases.
The petition filed through Barrister Ahmad Pansota argues that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority had issued the impugned order in excess of its jurisdiction without having regard to the constitutional rights guaranteed under Articles 19 and 19-A of the Constitution.
It said a plain reading of Section 27 of the PEMRA ordinance, prima-facie, shows that it does not empower the Authority to issue a blanket prohibition order. It says the prohibition order appears to be in violation of the principle of proportionality.
Plea to the LHC
The petition pointed out that a judgment handed down by the Islamabad High Court declared a similar prohibition order against the petitioner on similar grounds as ultra vires the Ordinance. The petition argued that the impugned ban is violation of Article 10-A of the Constitution and liable to be set aside.
It is pertinent to mention here that Imran Khan is facing the PEMRA’s restrictions for the third time. In August 2022, the PEMRA had imposed such restriction on Imran Khan speeches but the ban was lifted on the orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on September 6. In November last year, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader’s speeches were again banned but the restrictions were withdrawn by the federal government on the same day.
