ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday accused the federal government for ‘blackout’ of his fundraising telethon for flood victims the previous night.
The PTI chief had organised a telethon in an attempt to raise funds to aid the flood affectees after the country suffered unprecedented devastation from monsoon rains. However, no media channel broadcast the telethon live.
However, in a series of tweets, Imran claimed that the government had made several attempts to disrupt the live transmission of the fundraising drive.
Imran alleged that TV channels were pressured “not to air the telethon” and cable operators were threatened when some channels continued to broadcast in an attempt to merely target his party. He added such actions were thereby “denying fundraising to aid flood victims”.
The PTI chief also went on to claim that he had nonetheless managed to raise Rs5.2 billion.
In a tweet announcing the funds raised, Imran expressed his gratitude to overseas Pakistanis for their contributions, making special mention of those residing in the United States of America.
Ban on Imran
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) had imposed a ban on broadcasting live speeches of the ousted prime minister on all satellite TV channels, after Imran 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 the police request of physical remand despite knowing that Gill was subjected to “torture”.
Although the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had later overturned the move allowing live telecast of Imran’s speeches on the electronic media and set aside the Pemra order in early September, Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah, while hearing the plea challenging the ban, had expressed displeasure over some other of Imran’s statements, particularly the ones pertaining to the armed forces.
Meanwhile, reports had also emerged of disruptions in online video sharing platform YouTube services.
