'Fascist move': Twitter storm after PEMRA bans Imran's live speeches

PTI leaders term the ban 'fascism' while rival party scoffs it off

Twitter remained ablaze on Sunday after the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) decided to place a ban on broadcasting live speeches of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on all satellite TV channels.

The ban came after the ousted premier had warned the IG and DIG of Islamabad police, saying that he will not spare them and register a case against them for “torturing” party leader Shahbaz Gill during physical remand.

He had also called out Additional District and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry for approving police request of physical remand despite knowing that Gill was subjected to “torture”.

Read Imran 'faking' Gill's torture to divert public: Rana Sanaullah

PTI senior leader Shireen Mazari termed the ban as another attempt to “silence” Imran Khan and the party. “Instead of course correction, conspirators stubbornly keep upping the repression against” the PTI, she said.

They have tried everything they cld to silence IK & PTI - from removing IK govt with support from US-backed regime change conspiracy to torturing & sexually abusing Gill. Ary licence cancelled bec of PTI coverage, journalists threatened, beaten & arrested
https://t.co/GEoQCnFl23

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) August 21, 2022

Meanwhile, Fawad Chaudhry engaged in a Twitter spat with journalist Hamid Mir who had termed the Pemra ban as a case of “tit for tat” likening the present ban to the ban that was imposed on rival party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s speeches two years ago.

“Nawaz Sharif is banned because he is a convict,” retorted Fawad, adding that “Imran Khan is being banned for fear of his speech. The ban has only exposed the rulers further and nothing else.”

نواز شریف کو اشتہاری ہونے کی وجہ سے پابندی کا سامنا ہے اور پوری دنیا میں Absconders کے حقوق کو محدود کیا جاتا ہے تا کہ انھیں قانون کا سامنا کرے پر مجبور کیا جائے عمران خان پر پابندی ان کی تقریر کے خوف سے لگائ جا رہی ہے اس پابندی سے صرف حکمران مزید Expose ہوئے ہیں اور کچھ نہیں https://t.co/jNtAGPHyeK

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) August 21, 2022

The PTI also appeared to be using the move by Pemra to muster up further support.

After PEMRA's ban of Chairman Imran Khan's speech, this #PTIRawalpindiJalsa is going to record breaking!

Imported Fascists can see their defeat very clearly against Imran Khan & Awaam! pic.twitter.com/WE62i6E3Da

— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 20, 2022

Terming it a “fascist” move, the party called upon supporters to subscribe to its YouTube channel and bypass the ban altogether.

Imported Fascists are trying to ban Imran Khan's speeches on TV. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel at https://t.co/pzk3rQp3du

They have lost the battle completely and now using fascism; they will fail! #HelpPakistan by raising your voice against fascists!#WeCantBreathe pic.twitter.com/ozC8Nu7FvB

— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 20, 2022

Netizens react to Imran’s ban

Supporters also avidly played the ban down. One Twitter user said that Pemra underestimated the PTI supporters, saying that they “know how to use [the] internet without depending on electronic media”.

We are in digital age but Pemra is stuck in stone age. Boomers believe they can obliterate Imran Khan by banning his speeches.

Imran Khan is not Altaf Hussain. His message resonates with millions - millions who know how to use internet without depending on electronic media.

— Baji Please (@BajiPlease) August 20, 2022

“Do it for the sake of your peace,” said another supporter, “but you can’t stop this storm”.

PEMRA banned the speech of Khan.
Wait a minute? Then who will watch the television? How the institute will run? I mean 93% of this nation listen to Imran Khan. Now stopping his speeches. Do it for the sake of your peace but you can’t stop this Strom.#WeCantBreathe

— Amina Zubair 🌐 (@amnakhani123) August 20, 2022

However, others remained more skeptical.

The same was down for altaf hussain and that’s how they got rid of MQM. Seems like another altaf In making. It seems like altaf hussain was rotten but became rotten by the acts of state https://t.co/O4W8gBw9a9

— Faisal Siddiqui (@siddfamily) August 20, 2022

Tracing the origin of the ban to a judgement made by former chief justice Saqib Nisar, activist Reema Omer slammed Pemra for remembering “to arbitrarily enforce (after interpreting it rather broadly) whenever expedient”, noting how the ban was similar to those imposed on Altaf Hussain in 2015 and Nawaz Sharif in 2020.

PEMRA has prohibited the broadcast of “live speeches” by Imran Khan

Channels can still air his speeches after putting in place a time delay mechanism (which, rather oddly, they are required to have anyway so they can be held responsible for violations of code of conduct/rules) pic.twitter.com/VFNr5mWThi

— Reema Omer (@reema_omer) August 20, 2022

Government avenged

Meanwhile, ministers and senior PML-N leadership appeared to welcome the decision by the media regulatory authority.

“The judiciary must have now come to know what Sicilian mafia really is,” tweeted Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.

عدلیہ کو اب معلوم ہو گیا ہوگا کہ سیسیلین مافیا کیا ہوتا ہے.فارن ایجنٹ عمران خان پاکستان اور اس کی سکیورٹی کے لئے خطرہ بن گیا ہے۔ قومی اداروں اور ریاستی رٹ کو چیلنج کر کے عوام کو تشدد، لاقانونیت، بغاوت اور فساد پر اُلسا رہے ہیں۔عمران خان ملک میں خانہ جنگی چاہتے ہیں

— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) August 20, 2022

“By challenging the national institutions and the state writ, they are inciting the people to violence, lawlessness, rebellion and riot,” she added, claiming “Imran Khan wants a civil war in the country.”

Read More Gill’s torturers want to scare us into silence: Imran

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah expressed similar sentiments against the alleged attempts “to challenge the writ of the state by inciting rebellion” and said that Imran “will have to face the law for threatening and hurling abuses at the Magistrate and Police officers”.

Imran Niazi will have to face the law for threatening and hurling abuses at the Magistrate and Police officers. Such acts of brazen thuggery are responsible for instigating extremism in society. You [IK] are not allowed to challenge the writ of the state by inciting rebellion.

— Rana SanaUllah Khan (@RanaSanaullahPK) August 20, 2022

“They want to subjugate every institution of this country,” claimed another PML-N leader Khwaja Saad Rafique and called for judicial action for threatening a judge.

بد زبان بے لگام فارن فنڈڈ عمران نیازی کی خاتون سیشن جج کو مجمع عام میں دھمکیاں انارکی اورتشدد کی ترغیب ھیں
یہ ملک کے ھرادارے کو تابع فرمان بنانا چاھتے ھیں
عمران خود کو ھراحتساب اورقانون سے بالاتر سمجھتے ھیں
جج کو کھلی دھمکیوں پرعدالتی ایکشن لازمی ھے

— Khawaja Saad Rafique (@KhSaad_Rafique) August 21, 2022

Former Senator Farhatullah Babar also reminded the PTI of the apparent contradiction in its policies. Imran Khan “owes a word of gratitude to all those who opposed” his decision to approve five-year jail for criticising state institutions, he said.

Many opposed when @ImranKhanPTI approved
5-year jail for criticising Army, judiciary. He owes a word of gratitude to all those who opposed it https://t.co/fg0kMKuFwr

— Farhatullah Babar (@FarhatullahB) August 21, 2022

Babar also termed the rhetoric against the judge an act of “misogyny” and “dishonor”.

Naming a woman judge & threatening her publicly for alleged transgression but calling powerful transgressors merely as X & Y is not courage. It’s cowardice. It’s misogyny. It’s no honour. It’s dishonour

— Farhatullah Babar (@FarhatullahB) August 21, 2022

Ruling coalition wants Imran penalised

The coalition parties of the incumbent government on Saturday urged the superior judiciary to take immediate notice of ex-PM Imran Khan's threat to a female magistrate during his speech delivered during a rally of the PTI at F-9 Park.

“Take legal action against Imran Khan and his colleagues for interfering in the affairs of the interior minister and threatening the officers and government staff who are performing their duties according to the law,” according to a joint statement issued yesterday.

Read Also: Imran accused of ‘inciting people’ against state institutions

It added that Imran Khan should be bound by the Constitution and law.

The joint statement strongly condemned the speech delivered by Imran on Saturday night in which a female magistrate was named and threatened, while an attempt was made to intimidate the Islamabad IG and DIG.