Sethi calls for condemning PEMRA ruling against 24 News

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 27 April 2019

Najam Sethi criticizes PEMRA's recent ruling against 24 News, imposing a fine for discussing Imran Khan's personal life. He calls for media and rights organizations to denounce this act of censorship.

Summary

ISLAMABAD: Analyst Najam Sethi seems angered by regulator PEMRA’s decision of slapping Rs1 million fine on 24 News, and demanding an apology for discussing the personal life of Prime Minister Imran Khan in his talk show.

Sethi has asked other media organizations to condemn the PEMRA decision as absurd censorship. “I call upon all media and rights organisations at home and abroad to condemn this absurd censorship that condemns us unheard and demands an apology without even telling us what the charge is …”

I call upon all media and rights organisations at home and abroad to condemn this absurd censorship that condemns us unheard and demands an apology without even telling us what the charge is @CPJAsia@amnesty@RSF_AsiaPacific@HRCP87@nayadaurpk@PakPressWatch

— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) April 26, 2019

He also maintained that he and the TV channel have been punished without giving the opportunity to defend themselves. “Kindly let us know which statement Imran Khan finds untrue and objectionable. Also, very strange that you did not give us an opportunity to defend this statement! In fact, what if it turns out to be true later? Will you pay us Rs 10 lacs?”

Journalist and author Raza Rumi, commenting on the decision, termed it another effort to muzzle the press. “Such notices are plain attempts at muzzling a free press and there can be no other way of interpreting it. Silencing is virtually impossible in this day and age and the sooner the govt realizes that, the better.”

Zarrar Khuhro of DawnNews, who has a knack of looking at issues in a lighter vein, asked Sethi to campaign against polio vaccine to have a clean chit. “Sir, try to campaign against the polio vaccine instead. Apparently there you will have a clean chit.”

KEY POINTS:

• PEMRA imposes a Rs1 million fine on 24 News.
• Sethi calls the ruling absurd and demands an apology.
• Journalists criticize the ruling as an attempt to silence the press.
• Sethi and 24 News were not given a chance to defend themselves.
• Raza Rumi argues this is an effort to muzzle free speech.