Pakistan’s media regulator on Sunday banned television stations from broadcasting live speeches by former Prime Minister Imran Khan. This ban, which immediately came into force, was proclaimed overnight from Saturday to Sunday. Overthrown on April 10 by a motion of no confidence, the former star cricketer has since organized large rallies around the country to put pressure on the fragile ruling coalition. Imran Khan took part in a rally in the capital, Islamabad, on Saturday where he criticized the police and the judiciary after the arrest of a leader of his party.
In a notice sent to television stations and seen by AFP, the Pakistani Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) claimed that Imran Khan was launching “baseless allegations and uttered hate speech“. “His provocative statements against State institutions and officials (…) are likely to disturb public peace and tranquility“, she added. The ex-prime minister is due to attend another rally on Sunday evening in the town of Rawalpindi, neighboring Islamabad.
Still very popular with young people
Imran Khan was elected in 2018 by taking advantage of voter weariness with the two parties organized around large family dynasties that have dominated national political life for decades, which have become the symbol of elite corruption. He remains very popular with young people and his speeches are widely watched on television, with the best moments being taken up on Pakistani social networks.
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Saturday night’s protest followed the arrest of a senior leader of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who authorities say made hostile remarks to the military about a television channel which was later suspended. Criticizing the military, which has ruled Pakistan for almost half of its 75-year history, is seen as a red line.
A senior PTI official, Asad Umar, slammed the media regulator’s decision towards Mr Khan. “Banning the broadcast of Imran Khan’s speeches is another attempt to find an administrative solution to a political problem“, Mr. Umar told AFP. He added that his party would go to court to challenge the decision.
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