The Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (PEMRA) ban, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan’s speeches could no longer be broadcast.
In a decision he had reserved earlier today (Thursday), Justice Shams Mehdi Mehmood Mirza ruled that the order was suspended. The judge referred the case to the Chief Justice of the LHC after granting the PTI leader’s request for a full bench.
Sunday, PEMRA prohibited the ousted prime minister’s live broadcast after criticizing state institutions during the drama surrounding his arrest in Zaman Park for the Toshakhana case. Khan then submitted a petition to the LHC requesting the lifting of the ban. He asserted that the regulatory agency had exceeded its legal authority by doing so.
Khan’s lawyer informed the judge that the Islamabad High Court had also lifted a previous ban imposed by PEMRA.
PEMRA’s attorney argued that the matter was under the jurisdiction of the IHC and not the LHC.
“On Monday, a five-member bench heard a case of a similar type,” the attorney argued, urging that the court refer the petition to a larger bench.