A full bench of the Lahore High Court Friday directed Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to submit a detailed reply about the details of action taken against the media houses for airing news about MQM chief despite a ban on his media coverage. Acting chairman of Pemra appeared before a full bench and said showcause notices had already been issued to all media houses concerned for violating the court orders with regard to media blackout of the MQM chief. He said the media houses had been asked to submit explanation within two weeks. The bench also directed a standing counsel to come up with a clear reply about the status of the MQM chief’s nationality. Justice Mazhar Iqbal Sidhu and Justice Erum Sajjad Gull were other members of the bench. What is disturbing is how the court’s orders are morphing out of recognition. The original petition asked for a ban on all live speeches of Altaf Hussain, since he allegedly uses these speeches to malign the army and the country, now the court has asked PEMRA to issue show-cause notices to media channels who are merely covering a news story about the MQM chief. Since when did Altaf merit a media blackout? It is understandable – although still condemnable in the name of freedom of speech – when the court seeks to ban live speeches since they may incite violence, but what does banning news coverage achieve? How will it benefit the nation if the people did not learn that Altaf Hussain received bail in money laundering case, or any other such mundane news reporting? The LHC has let the matter become a personal vendetta, it must let it go and allow the media to be free.This veritable vigilantism is all the more problematic when it is being done despite the fact that the issue of the ban is already pending before the Supreme Court. The LHC must defer to the judgment of the superior court, and must stop making dramatic judgments until then. The MQM has finally agreed to join the parliamentary fold, which took months of negotiations and the formation of a special Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) to achieve. The LHC’s adventurism is jeopardising these positive developments.
pk.shafaqna.com
