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Today's Paper | May 03, 2024

Published 02 May, 2016 08:11pm

Pemra issues show cause notice to channel for airing Qandeel Baloch's comments

KARACHI: Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Monday issued a show cause notice to a private news channel for airing 'inappropriate' and 'immoral' comments by Qandeel Baloch, a self-styled social media personality, regarding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

"As is noticed that on May 1 2016, 5:58PM, SAMAA television aired a woman Qandeel Baloch's inappropriate and immoral comments about the elected prime minister which is a violation of the Pemra code of conduct as airing such views about anyone is not permitted," reads the notice.

The notice, undersigned by Pemra's general manager operations has ordered SAMAA television to appear before the authority and explain its position regarding the issue by May 17.

Related: Who is Qandeel Baloch and what is she doing on my timeline?

The document further states that the act not only displays the irresponsibility of the channel's management but the inefficacy of their time-delay mechanism adding that Pemra has repeatedly cautioned channels' management and supervisory committees about the airing of abusive language but to no avail.

It is pertinent to note here that Baloch arrived at Lahore’s Mall Road to participate in the anti-corruption rally organised by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Though the lady was not allowed inside the venue, apparently over her announcement to propose PTI chief Imran Khan, she talked to a number of news channel reporters but only SAMAA aired her comments about Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Qandeel Baloch, whose Facebook page describes her as a woman who 'had first entertained herself' was among the most searched people in Pakistan according to 2015 Google Trends.

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