ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) challenged before the Supreme Court on Saturday the June 28 suspension by the Sindh High Court of its notification banning televangelist and talk show host Aamir Liaquat’s Ramazan show on a TV channel for three days.

Justice Shahnawaz Tariq of the SHC had taken up a petition of the Independent Media Corporation and suspended the operation of Pemra’s June 27 notification ordering the channel to stop broadcasting its programme Inam Ghar. The regulator banned the show after receiving hundreds of complaints from viewers.

The high court had summoned the regulatory authority and the deputy attorney general on July 4.

In its appeal filed on Saturday, the authority said it had issued notice to the channel under Section 27 of the Pemra Ordinance 2012.

A Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Qazi Faez Isa, is expected to take up the matter on Monday.

While issuing directives to the channel to stop the show from June 28 to June 30, Pemra suggested that it should air an apology for ‘non-professional content’ that had hurt the sentiments of viewers, with a warning that in case of contempt of the order the show would be suspended indefinitely.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2016