Islamabad (Staff Report): Private news channels and certain social media remain suspended across the country for a second day on Sunday as the as law enforcement agencies on Saturday launched operation to disperse protesters who had camped out at Islamabad's Faizabad Interchange for nearly three weeks.
On Saturday, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has banned media coverage of the Faizabad operation.
The electronic media watchdog has ordered to take all news channels off air .
According to a circular issued by PEMRA on Saturday, the “live coverage of any security operation is prohibited, therefore all Satellite TV channels licenses are directed to exhibit utmost sensitivity over the matter and comply with Clause 8(8) of Electronic Media (Programmes and Advertisements) Code of Conduct 2015, in letter and spirit and refrain from live coverage of the ongoing operation at Faizabad, Islamabad.”
Section 27 of the PEMRA Act “prohibits broadcasting or re-broadcasting any programme which is likely to create hatred amongst the people or prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order or is likely to disturb public peace”.
Clause 3 of the Electronic Media Code of Conduct, adds, “obligates that the licencee shall ensure that no content is aired which is likely to incite, aid, abet, glamorise or justify violence, commission of any crime, terror or leads to serious public disorder besides being known to false and defamatory.”