SC temporarily bans Aamir Liaquat’s show

Pemra itself monitored that Amir Liaquat was wilfully and repeatedly making llegations that were derogatory

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has temporarily stopped Bol TV management from airing Amir Liaquat Hussain’s programme: ‘Aisay Nahi Chalay Ga’ for promoting hatred against social activists and journalists.

The court also warned that if the TV channel administration did not stop airing of the programme, then contempt of court proceedings would be initiated against them, including the anchor person.

The three-judge bench of the apex court headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim on Monday took up Pemra’s plea against the Sindh High Court’s January 27 order in favour of Bol TV.

Pemra Chairman Absar Alam also appeared before the apex court.

The authority stated that they had received hundreds of complaints regarding the content of Amir Liaquat’s show. “The complaints contend that the host (Amir Liaquat) has been making unfounded and baseless allegations against [social] activists and journalists of being anti-Pakistan and anti-Islam, which is also endangering innocent lives.”

It added that Pemra itself monitored that Amir Liaquat was wilfully and repeatedly making statements and allegations that were derogatory and tantamount to hate speech, incitement to violence and casting allegations of being anti-state and anti-Islam against citizens, which is also a clear and blatant violation of Section 20 of the 2002 Ordinance and Rule 15 of the Pemra Rule-2009.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2017.