Pemra serves notices to 14 news channels for commenting on SJC references

E-Paper | May 15, 2026

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) served a show-cause notice to 14 news channels for failing to act upon its advisory to avoid commenting on references filed in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against senior judges, a press release by the regulatory authority said on Saturday.

The channels that received the notices are Geo News, DawnNewsTV, Dunya News, ARY News, Channel 24, 92 News, Express News, Aaj News, Ab Tak News, GNN, Samaa TV, Sach News, Neo TV and Koh-i-Noor.

Pemra directed the said news channels to ensure that orders issued by the Supreme Court and SJC as well as advisories issued by the regulatory authority are acted upon and warned against further violation.

The body also ordered the aforementioned channels to submit a response by June 11.

On Friday, Pemra had barred all television channels from airing news, discussion or analysis on the issue except the news on the reference filed by the government against the judges for allegedly owning undeclared properties abroad.

Citing the July 7, 2018 judgement of the Supreme Court, Pemra recalled that through the judgement directives were issued to media that no media discussion, articles or editorials would be written or published and no public comments would be made on the proceedings of the SJC and only the proceedings would be reported.

Moreover, the Supreme Court through Sept 12, 2018 suo motu case had also prohibited discussions on sub judice matters.

Pemra warned that in case of non-compliance, the authority would proceed in accordance with the Pemra Ordinance 2002.

Journalist association condemns notices

The Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) condemned the issuance of show-cause notices by Pemra in a statement issued today and demanded the regulatory authority to withdraw them.

The journalists' body said that the government was "strangulating free voices of the media day in and day out".

"Article 19(A) guarantees protection of individual right of free expression of their views as well as a free media and Pemra has been violating the Constitution by issuing arbitrary notices to news channels,” said Ashraf Khan, the president of KUJ.

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A Voter

Jun 01, 2019 05:40pm

Freedom of speech and press should not be curtailed. Pemra needs to go.

Recommend 0

Mohan

Jun 01, 2019 05:46pm

Yeah! Hurray!!

Recommend 0

Tariq Shah

Jun 01, 2019 05:56pm

These are the times when dissent is crime.

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Khan

Jun 01, 2019 05:56pm

worst kind of dictatorship, its better to not watch any of pakistani media channel

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Shahid Khan

Jun 01, 2019 05:56pm

Shut these channels, like you guys done with Dr Shahid.

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Harun

Jun 01, 2019 06:01pm

Sign of dictatorship like Marshal Law!

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UMAIR

Jun 01, 2019 06:02pm

Selective application of rules by pemra is making a mockery of itself. By taking a biased on stance about which issues are eligible to be commented by media and which are not.

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aslamkhan

Jun 01, 2019 06:07pm

Let supreme court take notice.

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Mytwocentz

Jun 01, 2019 06:30pm

@Khan, with no content on science , technology or even arts , Pakistani channels deliver nothing of substance except bringing out hotchpotch of commentators who become experts by boring us with stupid analysis of something called current affairs . Pakistan channels need to evolve out of such programming

Recommend 0

Newborn

Jun 01, 2019 06:48pm

Pemra needs to be shutdown.

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Dr Ahmad - Melbourne

Jun 01, 2019 06:59pm

Who cares about PEMRA, which in reality is just waste of public money. It is time to either restructure PEMRA or just abolish it. It have done nothing for public good since its inception.

Recommend 0

UncleFunky

Jun 01, 2019 07:02pm

Great freedom of press in Pakistan!!

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Jehengir khan

Jun 01, 2019 07:04pm

Freedom of press must be preserved at any cost....

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Pro Freedom of Speech

Jun 01, 2019 07:15pm

Gag order has been issued to curtail the Freedom of Speech. Media should fight for its constitutional right.

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Ijaz

Jun 01, 2019 07:22pm

Was the reference news?. Answer: yes. So why should the media not report. Pemra should stop seeing itself as the censor in chief

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bhaRAT©

Jun 01, 2019 07:23pm

Right decision on sensitive matters. This should have only come out after due judicial process was complete.

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Lahore Vivek

Jun 01, 2019 07:27pm

Having control over press freedom will surely back fire against the government

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Goldsilver

Jun 01, 2019 07:27pm

law should prevail. If it's barred then channels should abide by it

Recommend 0

Ali

Jun 01, 2019 07:37pm

Arms tactics against the free voices and vendetta against the independent judges

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Anti-Corruption_Pakistani

Jun 01, 2019 08:08pm

Yet again, more notices to TV channels and no action. This is typical of Pemra.

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Lubna

Jun 01, 2019 08:29pm

Thank you Pemra for sparing viewers to this saga . There is so much speculation on every matter , it’s disgusting

Recommend 0

Syed

Jun 01, 2019 08:38pm

Those who would sacrifice a little liberty for a little security deserve neither.. Benjamin Franklin

Recommend 0

Ash Man

Jun 01, 2019 09:20pm

All news channels should publish only goody goody news and prove their patriotism.

Recommend 0

Ahmed

Jun 01, 2019 09:23pm

Freedom of expression is one of the vital signs of a flourishing democracy. Curbing it and then proclaiming that democracy exists is a false pretense, especially for those who claim to have come in through a popular vote cast in their favour.

Recommend 0

Tehseenullah

Jun 01, 2019 09:25pm

Now time is different than that of Pervez Musaharaf reign as the state institutions are behind the Govt, those who support the state will glow and those who act against, will be perished.

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LAHORI KID

Jun 01, 2019 09:31pm

Media enjoying freedom under our type of DEMOCRACY. Sad.

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Khalid iqbal

Jun 01, 2019 09:38pm

Corruption needs to come to an end , and it should not matter what highoffice they hold , if a judge indulges in corruption , then he has to answer the people , honest people have nothing to worry about.

Recommend 0

Khalid iqbal

Jun 01, 2019 09:39pm

@A Voter, corruption needs to go , no judge can be above the law.

Recommend 0

Fastrack

Jun 01, 2019 10:07pm

Excellent. They comment on sensitive matters with near zero authentic information.

Recommend 0

Jun 01, 2019 10:07pm

Pakistani TV anchors don’t operate under any self defined code of conduct and are therefore promoting sensationalism, chaos and lies which is highly irresponsible thus a clear violation of journalistic duty

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Riaz uddin

Jun 01, 2019 10:08pm

The freedom of expression should not be .abused.unjustifiably or be taken for granted by private channels. Before commenting on Judges references, they must follow the policy of wait and see. Any premature comments by private channel on this issue before finalization would compromise the impartiality of refrences. PEMRA must issue certain directives in advance for private channels.

Recommend 0

Faisal Khorasani

Jun 01, 2019 10:15pm

The purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness. Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors. --- Thomas Jefferson

Recommend 0

MSH

Jun 01, 2019 10:22pm

@A Voter, not freedom but free for all freedom.

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MSH

Jun 01, 2019 10:23pm

@Mohan , Shut the channels for a month minimum.

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M. Saeed

Jun 01, 2019 10:37pm

What a strange directive! If news channel do not cover the top news, what for they are there?

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ali

Jun 01, 2019 11:17pm

@A Voter, - Freedom of speech comes with responsibility and they should be aware of it and not go their ratings.

Recommend 0

Ahmed

Jun 01, 2019 11:33pm

What kind of democracy is that where there is no freedom of speech?

Recommend 0

Naim Khan

Jun 02, 2019 02:03am

Too many News channels in Pakistan, and they don’t even know about media, media plays big roll in aspects of people’s lives but Pakistani media is there only for politicians, criminals, corrupts, who ever pays the money they will sell any thing and every thing including the country. MEMRA needs to shut down most of them only keep the one are true Pakistanis. It’s my opinion being a true Pakistani.

Recommend 0

Khuram

Jun 02, 2019 03:44am

Time to control these mouth pieces for the corrupt.

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Saqlain Imam

Jun 02, 2019 03:53am

The news story has reproduced a wrong text of the Article 19-A of the Constitution while quoting a leader of the Karachi Union of Journalist (that the Article 19-A "guarantees protection of individual right of free expression of their views as well as a free media"). Here is the original text of the Article 19-A: "Every citizen shall the rights to have access to information in all matters of public importance subject to regulation and reasonable restrictions imposed by law".

Recommend 0

saksci

Jun 02, 2019 04:01am

Pemra budget should be used for education or buy books for school, it is still same old Pakistan what happen to PTI agenda.

Recommend 0

Judicial matters are sensitive

Jun 02, 2019 04:04am

All judicial matters are very sensitive and shouldn't be sensationalized and hyped, just to get viewers and money. Mostly media crosses their limits and become judge instead of the reporters.

Recommend 0

Abdullah

Jun 02, 2019 04:19am

So why is it taboo to talk about judges but not politicians?

Recommend 0

Gopal Patel

Jun 02, 2019 04:50am

Truth cannot be suppressed for long..

Recommend 0

Ujla sitara

Jun 02, 2019 07:11am

Is this democracy?

Recommend 0

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