KARACHI: The Pakistan Electronic Media Authority (Pemra) has banned Amir Liaquat’s Bol news programme Aisay Nahi Chalay Ga.
Recently, Amir found himself under the spotlight after he declared on his show that the missing bloggers and social activists are blasphemers.
PEMRA revealed that Liaquat’s allegations constituted hate speech and had received hundreds of complaints.
According to sources, the regulatory authority has banned Amir from hosting any programme or appearing on the Bol channel in any manner. If the channel Bol fails to abide by the rule of the authority, the channel’s license will be suspended.
Amir Liaquat is completely prohibited from appearing on the channel in any sense that includes as a guest analyst, in a video or audio, beepers, reporter or advertisement of his programmes.
PEMRA stated, “Amir Liaquat is prohibited to deliver, on all other channels, any hate speech, declaring anyone as kaafir or ghaddar, as under the Constitution of Pakistan, it is the exclusive jurisdiction of the Parliament or the Honourable Superior Judiciary.”
PEMRA has made it very clear that they will be taking serious action against Amir Liaquat. It is stated that if Amir misuses the power of freedom of speech to breach the Pemra Code of Conduct 2015, Pemra Ordinance 2002, and Rules and Regulations on any other TV channel(s), the authority shall entreat Section 27 of PEMRA Ordinance 2002 against that TV channel
The authorities have been monitoring the programme for several weeks and noted that Amir had breached several clauses of PEMRA Ordinance and Rules.
The complaints will be forwarded to the councils of complaints in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad by Pemra.
The ban placed on Amir Liaquat will remain in effect under the Council of Complaints PEMRA.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar stated that there was no truth to the fact that any case filed against the social activists had accused them of blasphemy. He described these claims to be ridiculous.
“Perhaps these elements do not realise that this act of theirs is further increasing difficulties for the affected families,” he said.
Previously, PEMRA had banned Liaquat from anchoring in a Ramazan Show Inam Ghar on Geo entertainment for three days after he commented on the suicide case of a girl.
