KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking removal of a ban on the media coverage of speeches of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed dismissed the plea for not being maintainable.

Nisar Ahmed Panhwar, a former minister and lawmaker affiliated with the MQM, had last year filed the petition before the SHC stating that the ban of Mr Hussain’s media coverage was arbitrarily imposed and pleaded to lift the same.

Last month, the SHC had also turned down an identical petition filed by Mohammad Aftabuddin Baqai seeking a similar relief for the MQM founder.

At the outset of the hearing on Tuesday, the bench asked petitioner’s counsel Khalid Mumtaz about the maintainability of the plea and the locus standi of his client.

The counsel replied that his client was a former minister of the MQM and still a follower and supporter of the MQM founder and his ideology.

He submitted that tens of thousands of followers of the MQM founder were willing to watch and listen to his speeches on the media.

Citing the interior, information and law secretaries and the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority as respondents, the petitioner in his petition contended that the ban on media coverage of the MQM founder was made in violation of Articles 4, 17, 19 and 25 of the Constitution.

He maintained that Mr Hussain had never violated any provision of law, but due to misinterpretation of his speeches, a ban was imposed against him, which was not sustainable.

The petitioner also contended that the MQM founder had time and again apologised politically to all quarters concerned for any misunderstanding and misinterpretation of his speeches and, therefore, he was entitled to take part in political activities.

Submitting that Mr Hussain had not been convicted on the ground of hate speech in the UK as well as in Pakistan, he sought a directive for the respondents to remove the ban.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.