Pemra secretary directed to appear before LHC on March 27

The Lahore High Court on Thursday directed the secretary Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to appear before the court on March 27 and explain the rule of Pemra in ongoing tirade against judiciary. The court passed these orders in a petition filed by Amina Malik of Civil Society Network through Azhar Siddique advocate.
The court observed that the people facing charges of corruption had been attacking the institution of judiciary in the name of criticism. The court also took exemption to the speeches of State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry and observed that such speeches amounted to treason. The court also gave another opportunity to Pemra to decide complaints pending with it about alleged contemptuous speeches by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and other leaders of the PML-N.
Earlier the counsel for Pemra told the court that a meeting fixed for March 21 would decide the complaints. The petitioner approached the court against alleged anti-judiciary speeches by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, federal and provincial ministers of the PML-N. Representing the petitioner, Azhar Siddique advocate argued that the PML-N leadership had been making derogatory speeches against the judges of the Supreme Court after disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in Panama case.
He said the Pemra had been wilfully allowing broadcasting of hate speeches as it took no action to enforce its code of conduct and the rules. The counsel further said that Nawaz Sharif and other leadership of PML-N had been trying to prove the Supreme Court's verdict wrong and prejudice. He said the Pemra was bound to perform its duties with due diligence in order to protect state institutions and the dignity and integrity of courts and to restrain the media houses from airing anything against the laws and offensive to the state institutions.
Representing Nawaz Sharif, Advocate Azam Nazir Tarar intended to advance arguments on the maintainability of the petition moved by a civil society organisation. The court said let the Pemra file its report on the issue first and adjourned the proceedings till next date of hearing.