ISLAMABAD: Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) warned the media on Monday that he would ban live telecast of current affairs programmes if anchors continued to present unverified information.

During the hearing of a contempt of court case against Matiullah Jan, the host of Waqt TV programme Apna Apna Gareban, the judge said TV anchors had been humiliating and discrediting respectable personalities on the basis of hearsay.

The case related to a programme aired by Waqt TV on Feb 5 regarding alleged encroachment by lawyers on a football ground in Islamabad’s Sector F-8.

The management tendered a written apology after Justice Siddiqui said his name was unnecessarily brought up in the programme and that the host presented unverified information.

On his part, Mr Jan submitted a written reply assuring the court that he would be cautious and careful in future. He said the judiciary was a sacred institution and he had utmost respect for courts and judges.

Justice Siddiqui termed the reply unsatisfactory and asked the Waqt TV management as well as the anchorperson to submit a detailed response.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2018