A two-member bench of the Supreme Court on Friday summoned Chief Executive Officer (CEO) cable operators and directed the Chairman Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to take strict action against those operators who have blocked the transmission of two private TV channels in Sindh and Punjab.
The bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary and Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday was hearing identical petitions against the closure of transmission of the TV channels.During the proceeding the court summoned Federal Secretary Ministry of Interior Qamar Zaman Chaudhary, Federal Secretary Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Mansoor Suhail and Chairman PEMRA Mushtaq Chaudhary through SC registrar office. The federal secretaries and the PEMRA Chairman appeared before the court on short notice.
The court ordered Chairman PEMRA to restore the banned channels by 1230 pm Friday; and report it to court after the prayer break. When the court assembled after Friday prayer break Chairman PEMRA submitted a report regarding the transmission of said channels, which the court rejected and issued order to CEO cable operators to appear before the bench on August 17, 2010.
The Chief Justice told the secretary information, “I know the government was not involved in it, but would not allow anyone to violate Article 19 and newly introduced Article 19A under 18th Amendment.” Chairman PEMRA informed the court that all connections of the channels have been restored. But Dr. Shahid Masood, director ARY, who was present in the court, said it was not true. On this Justice Ramday told the Chairman “you have made false statement before the court and for that you could go to jail.”
taking any action against them.
The channels representatives complained that their transmissions were put off the air by the cable operators on the directives of PEMRA. The CJ asked Chairman PEMRA that why so far the licences of the cable operators have not been canceled.
The chief justice held it an offence to stem the telecast of channels by force and termed it terrorism to attack on cable-operators with petrol bombs. The petitioners’ counsel Akram Sheikh said the media in Pakistan was harassed. He further said the petrol bombs were flung at the offices of cable operators and these circumstances run counter to the freedom of access to the information. He stressed that the police is allowing its cover to those harassing and terrorizing the media. The CJ remarked it is a crime to stem the telecast of the channels thus, asking whether there is any agency present in the country to maintain law and order. He also asked why the law did not come into motion on these incidents. He therefore summoned CEO cable operators and directed the PEMRA Chairman to take strict action against those operators who have blocked the transmission of two private TV channels in Sindh and Punjab and adjourned the hearing till August 17.
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