LAHORE, April 1: Justice Syed Zahid Husain of the Lahore High Court on Friday restrained FM-103 radio from broadcasting the news bulletin of the BBC Urdu Service. The court also issued notice to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to explain its position in regard to its notice to the radio, requiring it to stop broadcasting all BBC Urdu Service programmes.

The FM-103 radio had, through a writ petition, assailed the Pemra’s notice, which asked it not to broadcast any of the Urdu programmes of the British radio. The notice warned the local radio that its licence would be cancelled if it continued to broadcast the BBC Urdu Service programmes.

The court, while restraining the radio from broadcasting the Urdu news bulletin, sought explanation from Pemra through a notice that it had to specify the programmes which it wanted the local radio to stop broadcasting. The court fixed April 14 for the hearing of the FM-103 radio’s petition.