Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) once again granted stay to the private TV channel ‘Urdu-1’ against the show cause notices issued by Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) for airing Indian dramas on Friday.

In the interim order, the court directed that the operation of the show causes notices dated July 10, 11 and 12 were suspended and PEMRA is restrained from issuing any further show cause notices on the same facts and grounds as that of earlier show cause notices.

Airing of Indian content on electronic media channels was banned by the Authority on October 19, 2016 following the brutal killings of the innocent Kashmiris, the use of Pellet guns in the Indian Held Kashmir including the Martyrdom of Burhan Muzaffar Wani. However, ‘Urdu-1’ started defying that ban from June 28, 2017 and kept violating the directives of the Authority by airing Indian dramas and soaps continuously.

On these violations, PEMRA has been issuing show cause notices to ‘Urdu-1’ each time on New Cause of Action and has sent 7 such notices to the management of the channel on July 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12 and 13 respectively.

The court’s July 14, 2017 order stopping PEMRA from issuing notices each time on New Cause of Action to the TV channel has tied the regulator’s hands to take any action against ‘Urdu-1’ which is showing the Indian dramas. Gen (R) Pervez Musharraf had allowed the Indian dramas to be broadcast in Pakistan in 2006. However, no other government took any action against the decision taken during the Musharraf regime, than the present government.

Before banning the Indian content on TV channels, PEMRA had been receiving hundreds of complaints which said that the telecast of Indian dramas on TV Channels was against the cultural norms of Pakistani viewers and casting negative impact particularly, on the children’s minds, language etc. Therefore, PEMRA has decided to approach the Supreme Court against the interim order of the SHC.