LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) will take up a petition of PTI chief Imran Khan on Tuesday (today) challenging a ban imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on the broadcast of his speeches and press talks.

Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan will hear the petition.

Pemra had slapped the ban after Imran lashed out at former army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa for, what he called, protecting incumbent rulers in their alleged corruption cases.

The petition filed through Barrister Ahmad Pansota argues that Pemra had issued the impugned order in excess of its jurisdiction without having regard to the constitutional rights guaranteed under Articles 19 and 19-A of the Constitution.

It says a plain reading of Section 27 of the Pemra ordinance, prima-facie, shows that it does not empower the authority to issue a blanket prohibition order. It says the prohibition order appears to be in violation of the principle of proportionality. It points out that a judgment handed down by the Islamabad High Court declared a similar prohibition order against the petitioner on similar grounds as ultra vires the Ordinance.

The petition argues that the impugned ban is violation of Article 10-A of the Constitution and liable to be set aside.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2023