Pakistan TV channel founder, anchors booked for 'sedition'

Regulatory watchdog PEMRA serves ARY News show-cause notice

By ANI

Published: Wed 10 Aug 2022, 3:09 PM

The founder and CEO of private television broadcaster ARY News has been booked under sedition charges, along with two of the channel's news anchors.

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered at Karachi's Memon Goth police station an hour before the arrest of ARY News head Ammad Yousaf, the channel said.

Arshad Sharif and Khawar Ghuman are the two anchorpersons being charged under sections 120, 124A, 131 and 153A, in which sedition and charges of plotting alleged conspiracy have been included.

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The channel added that a day after the transmission of Pakistani television station ARY News was taken off air by the country's regulatory authorities, the outlet's senior Vice President Ammad Yousaf was arrested from Karachi in the early hours of Wednesday, the channel said.

The country's biggest private broadcaster was served a show-cause notice by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Monday.

PTI leader Murad Saeed has strongly condemned the late-night arrest of the senior journalist.

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Regulatory watchdog PEMRA has alleged that the channel was airing "false, hateful and seditious" content based on "absolute disinformation with a clear and present threat to national security by instigating rebellion within the armed forces", Dawn reported. In its notice to the news outlet, the regulatory watchdog also termed the news anchor who delivered the news as "biased."

PEMRA has also directed the channel's CEO to appear in person for a hearing on August 10.