Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Chairman Absar Alam on Monday revealed that PEMRA officials had been threatened for taking action against media outlets.

Addressing a press conference, the PEMRA chief said that it was difficult to perform duties in the present circumstances. “I have a family; PEMRA employees have a family. While I can tolerate personal attacks, I cannot permit threats directed towards my institution or its workforce,” he said. “It is getting more and more difficult for us to operate. The situation is dire,” he said.

He urged the PM, chief justice of Pakistan and the army chief to take notice of the issue. The claims come in days after licence of the Bol Television Network was suspended and the authorities concerned were ordered to take the channel off air.

He demanded that the government and institutions concerned provide the regulators. Alam laid out that he paid Rs 8.2 million worth of income tax last year and slammed all the accusations levelled against him over undeserved wage, working for an NGO among others. That NGO was carrying out operations in Pakistan after a security clearance granted by the Ministry of Interior, he added. “As we have taken action against vulgarity, it is also our responsibility to monitor and curb problematic hate speech on television,” Alam stressed.