PEMRA bars Geo from airing interview of former Taliban spokesman

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 27 April 2017

PEMRA has banned Geo News from broadcasting an interview with Ehsan Ullah Ehsan, the former TTP spokesman. The decision follows public complaints and regulatory violations.

Summary

ISLAMABAD – Electronic media regulator PEMRA Thursday ordered Geo News not to air an interview of Ehsan Ullah Ehsan, a former spokesman of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Geo ran a promo of the interview it planned to air Thursday evening in Saleem Safi’s program Jirga.

PEMRA said this was a clear violation of its directives issued under the National Action Plan and Section 3(3) of the Electronic Media Code of Conduct, 2015.

The regulator said it had received many complaints from viewers after Geo aired the promo.

“Glorification of terrorists cannot be allowed except the confessional statement which has already been released by the investigation agency,” PEMRA said. “Even in that statement, only the selected parts are allowed to be aired which do not, in any manner, glorify a terrorist and his terrorist setup.

PEMRA warned Geo that in the case of non-compliance, it will take strict action.

Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Asif Ghafoor announced on April 17 that Ehsan Ullah Ehsan had surrendered to the Pakistan Army.

KEY POINTS:

• PEMRA ordered Geo News to stop airing the interview.
• The interview was planned for Saleem Safi's program Jirga.
• Regulatory directives were violated according to PEMRA.
• Complaints from viewers prompted the intervention.
• Ehsan Ullah Ehsan had recently surrendered to the Pakistan Army.