Ex-chairman of PEMRA, Absar Alam, has claimed undue pressures exerted on the media regulatory body during the controversial Faizabad sit-in. Per the detailed statement submitted to the Pakistan Supreme Court, the former ISI chief, General Faiz Hamid, allegedly attempted to manipulate media coverage during the period.
According to Absar Alam, Faiz Hamid pressured PEMRA to target senior journalist Najam Sethi and called for a ban on ex-US ambassador Husain Haqqani. These demands, however, were not fulfilled. Furthermore, a revealing letter, dated April 2017, was supposedly sent to the ex-prime minister and Chief Justice of Pakistan, highlighting the external pressures TV channels were facing from the then ISI chief and his subordinates. Absar Alam recalls his efforts to shine a light on these issues, mentioning a press conference he had called to discuss the threats and harassment faced by PEMRA officials.
During the Faizabad sit-in, a channel faced a ban for not adhering to PEMRA guidelines. Yet, there were demands for more bans, with Marriyum Aurangzeb pushing for a blanket ban on all TV channels. The culmination saw all channels banned during the sit-in based on instructions from former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. This series of events led to Absar Alam’s eventual removal from his PEMRA chairmanship two years later.
Ongoing Investigations and Court Proceedings
In response to the upheaval, the federal government set up a fact-finding committee to pinpoint those accountable for the Faizabad sit-in. Additionally, the Supreme Court has issued a comprehensive order urging all relevant parties to clarify their roles in the Faizabad sit-in case. The case will be further reviewed by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court on November 1.
To provide context, the Faizabad sit-in began on November 08, 2017, orchestrated by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The sit-in protested against changes made in the Election Bill 2017, particularly modifying the term “oath” to “declaration”.
