ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday (Today) ordered Bol New to cease the airing of all hateful content and warned the channel management that airing any such content, specifically Amir Liaquat Hussain’s show “Aisay nahi chalay ga” would amount to contempt of court.
The Supreme Court demanded immediate assurance from the management of Bol News, that the channel would not air any content that contained hate speech. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim issued a warning stating that continued airing of the programme would result in the bench initiating contempt proceedings against Amir Liaquat Hussain, the channel and anyone else involved. A permanent ban on the channel was also not out of the question in case of non-compliance according to the court.
The Bol News management was quick to respond and delivered an undertaking promising full cooperation, and that the programme would not be aired until any further directive was issued by the court.
The ruling is one in the line of a long saga, which began with the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) banning Amir Liaquat from not only doing his show on Bol News, but also from appearing in any television advertisements or as a guest speaker or analyst on other shows, in any form whatsoever.
The ban came as a result of Amir Liaquat’s accusations against missing social activist and bloggers of being blasphemers and harbouring anti-state sentiments. Pemra had come into action on the complaint of lawyer Jibran Nasir, who held that the TV show host had hurled baseless defamatory allegations against him with absolutely no evidence.
Pemra’s response was to slap Amir Liaquat and his show with a ban, citing their code of conduct, and invoking Section 27 of PEMRA Ordinance 2002 which is brought into play when a person or network “continues to abuse freedom of speech and violates PEMRA Code of Conduct 2015, PEMRA Ordinance 2002.” The Pemra chairman had also claimed that they had recieved “hundred of other complaints against Amir Liaquat Hussain and his show.”
The ban, however, did not have the desired effect as Bol News flouted Pemra’s authority and aired the show the following day. Amir Liaquat used the illegal airtime to level further accusations of blasphemy, against the lawyer who had filed the complaint, Jibran Nasir, in an impassioned tirade, claiming he was “anti-Pakistan” and “anti-Islam.”
Only a day after its original ban, Pemra delivered a show-cause notice to the media network which was soon nullified by a stay-order delivered by the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the ban in response to a petition filed by Bol News. Pemra was quick to appeal to the Supreme Court, which has now reinstated the ban against Amir Liaquat by overruling the SHC’s stay-order.
Amir Liaquat has previously been embroiled in controversy due to his television shows, and his game show Inaam Ghar was once temporarily banned for his impersonation of a young girl committing suicide. “Aisay nahi chalay ga” had also been previously criticised for its content, including claiming that Indian actor Om Puri had been murdered and that his ghost had been spotted near his home.
The Apex Court has delayed proceedings until Wednesday, and it is expected that the ban will be enforced on this occasion, as disobeying the order would naturally result in the news channel being held in contempt.
Amer should be banned from all channels and radio for life.
why?
Not only that he should be banned but he should be tried in anti terrorism court for spreading hatred and terrorizing Pakistani citizens and labelling them as infidel and anti state.
Amir is the only one in Pakistan, who's answering India as all other Pakistanis have no guts to say anything to India.
No one allowed in Pakistan to speak truth, only lies and lairs can live in Pakistan example is as Nawaz and his family Zadari and his family.
Though I dont like Aamir Liaqat but as far as this prog is concerned, he was actually showing real faces of anti Pakistan and anti Islam people living in our country. Furthermore, he showed complete solid evidences in support of his versions. Ban should be imposed on Najam Sethi who has openly spoken against Pak Army and said that it was Pak Army who initiated 1965 was and Pakistan lost that war, which is actually not true.
Wow! what will happen to Pakistan? The blasphemers, anti Islam and anti Pakistan can say whatever but there is no ban. However, when Amir Liaqat is exposing those ugly faces then SC and Pemra is banning him. What a shame!
pak is doomed.. thankfully i left that country long ago and i am so happy that i did.. good luck pak people with your liberal delusions..
from someone (me)… who has lived outside the country since the age og 13, 25 plus years.. Pakistan is and will always be my country and I will always love my country and my fellow country men..To you I say, please never go back to Pakistan.. if you have an ounce of shame.. ohh nooo ,, but you are shameless
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