LAHORE – Lahore High Court has scrapped a ban on the broadcast of a speech and press conferences by ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The development comes days after the country’s media watchdog slapped a complete ban on the broadcasting of speeches and pressers by defiant leader Imran Khan, and even suspended the license of a leading mainstream TV channel for defying the contentious order.
Amid the condemnation and legal tussle, Lahore High Court revoked Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority’s (PEMRA) order, banning the broadcast of the opposition leader, who is facing a flurry of cases since being removed from power.
Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza pronounced the reserved verdict and revoked the ban. Judge inquired about the grounds of the ban on which the lawyer of the PTI chief apprised the court about the background of the recent developments.
The firebrand politician made a fiery speech after Islamabad police reached his Lahore residence to arrest him in the Toshakhan case. The populist leader managed to dodge the arrest but bears the brunt of his fiery speeches.
Earlier, the national media regulator maintained that the PTI chief hurled baseless allegations and is involved in spewing hate speech through offensive comments against state institutions.
For the unversed, this was the third time when electronic media watchdog restricted media to cover the PTI chief’s statements as he continued party rallies to push the government for early elections.
