Maryam Nawaz has ARY News' mic removed before press conference

JournalismPakistan.com | Published: 25 May 2022

Maryam Nawaz's press conference in Lahore took an unexpected turn when she had ARY News' mic removed, claiming the channel was pursuing a malicious agenda. The action prompted backlash from ARY News and journalist organizations, highlighting ongoing tensions in Pakistani media.
Summary

LAHORE—Before starting her press conference in Lahore on Tuesday, PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz had ARY News' mic removed from the table, accusing the media house of blackmailing and following an agenda.

"Whoever is here from ARY, I completely respect you, but there is no way a media house can run a campaign against state institutes or start working on someone else's agenda," she stated.

However, the management of ARY News sharply opposed Maryam's threats against the channel. The channel will continue to broadcast facts, its core responsibility as a news organization, it said.

ARY News anchorperson Kashif Abbasi took to Twitter and said that ARY News had been removed from cable TV networks across the country. According to him, Information Minister Marriyam Aurangzeb was behind this, attempting to please her leader Maryam Nawaz.

Earlier, ARY News claimed that its transmission had been taken down in various parts of Pakistan following the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) orders to the cable operators.

Nayatel, an internet service provider, confirmed it moved ARY News from the No. 7 slot to 66. "All licensed operators of Pakistan have shifted the position of ARY News channel. It's available at 66 positions on Nayatel's Basic Cable TV," it tweeted.

Many journalist organizations have condemned the removal of ARY News' mic before the press conference. Lala Asad Pathan, Vice President of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), said targeting a news channel was not fair.

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