The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Monday imposed fines on six national television channels for airing a controversial statement of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan regarding the appointment of next army chief.
The fined channels include ARY News, Channel Five, Express News, Dunya News, Aaj News and Seven News. The PEMRA imposed a fine of Rs1 million on each channel after the media groups failed to provide a satisfactory reply to the show-cause notices issued by the authority on September 5.
The notice to ARY read: Show Cause Notice issued to M/s ARY Communications Ltd. (ARY News) on September 5, 2022 for airing inappropriate statement of Mr. Imran Khan, Chairman PTI regarding a sensitive issue of new Army Chief’s appointment wherein he alleged political allies for selecting their favorite army officer as new Chief. Aforementioned statement went on air without any editorial control and effective utilization of delay mechanism.
Imran Khan’s statement cited by the regulatory body in its notice reads:
Earlier, the watchdog had also issued directives, warning all the TV channels of strict legal action for airing any content against the state institutions.
