ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Friday banned the coverage of the issues related to the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) on national media (television and radio) as the outfit was listed as proscribed organisation by the government.
In a communique sent to all satellite TV channels and FM radio stations, the authority referred to the Ministry of Interior’s notification in which it said the government has “declared Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan as a proscribed organisation” for engaging in acts of terrorism and acting in a manner prejudicial to the peace and security of the country.
The notification added that the PEMRA (Television Broadcast Station Operation) Regulation, 2012, and the Electronic Media Code of Conduct, 2015, required that programmes “shall conform to the laws of the country’. Additionally, Clause 3(3) of the Electronic Media Code of Conduct, 2015, ‘prohibits media coverage to proscribed organisations”.
“Therefore, […] while exercising powers conferred under Section 27 of PEMRA Ordinance, 2002, as amended [by] PEMRA (Amendment) Act, 2007, media coverage of Tehreek Labbaik-e-Pakistan is banned,” the PEMRA letter dated April 15 said.
It directed all satellite TV channel and FM radio licensees to “restrain from providing any kind of media coverage to this organisation”.
On Thursday, the government had banned TLP, whose activists staged three days of violent protests across the country this week after their leader’s arrest. A notification declaring TLP as a proscribed organisation was issued by the Ministry of Interior shortly after the federal cabinet approved a summary to ban the party.
The notification stated: “The federal government has reasonable grounds to believe that the TLP is engaged in terrorism, [has] acted in a manner prejudicial to the peace and security of the country, [was] involved in creating anarchy in the country by intimidating the public, caused grievous bodily harm, hurt and death to the personnel of law enforcement agencies and innocent by-standers, attacked civilians and officials, created wide-scale hurdles, threatened, abused and promoted hatred, vandalised and ransacked public and government properties including vehicles and caused arson, blocked essential health supplies to hospitals, and has threatened, coerced, intimidated, and overawed the government [and] the public and created sense of fear and insecurity in the society and the public at large.”
Copies of the notification were sent to authorities concerned, including the secretaries of different ministries and divisions, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) governor, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) secretary and director general passports.
The National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) had also swiftly added the TLP to the list of banned terrorist organisations taking the total number of such outfits to 79.
In an effort to keep the ulema in the loop, the religious affairs minister had also hosted an Iftar-dinner in honour of religious scholars where Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed had briefed them on the reasons for banning the TLP.
