LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) has suspended PEMRA notification barring media anchors from participating as guest in TV shows.
The petition against PEMRA orders for stopping TV anchor persons from appearing as guest in TV shows came up for hearing in LHC led by Justice Shahid Waheed Wednesday.
Federal minister for information and broadcasting and PEMRA have been made respondents in the petition.
The petitioner took the plea PEMRA on October 28 had imposed ban on journalists from appearing in other TV shows as experts. Ban was also slapped on inviting guests on their own sweet will. TV anchors could no longer offer their opinions on either their own talk shows or on other current affairs programmes as “subject matter experts.
The petitioner told the court PEMRA can impose ban under section 27 of ordinance on any TV program in specific circumstances but this directive should be suspended besides setting aside the orders for barring journalists from participating in TV programs.
LHC after hearing the arguments of the petitioner suspended the PEMRA notification on imposition of ban on anchor persons in participating as guest experts in other shows of TV.
In this regard leading journalist Hamid Mir said PEMRA through dictation is making mockery of freedom of expression law. PEMRA has no right to impose ban on anchor person in participating as expert in some other TV channel or shows.
