Karachi police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against ARY Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Salman Iqbal in connection with the controversial remarks made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Shahbaz Gill during a news transmission.

The police have also arrested Ammad Yousuf, the head of news and Senior Executive Vice President of ARY News.

The FIR said that a clip of a news bulletin, aired on August 8 by ARY News, had gone viral on social media, in which Gill had made “hateful remarks” against the Pakistan Army. Producer Adeel Raja, Yousaf, and anchorpersons Arshad Sharif and Khawar Ghumman have also been nominated in the case registered on August 8.

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Meanwhile, ARY News reported that Yousaf was arrested in Karachi late on Tuesday night (August 9). Yousaf was arrested without a warrant from his residence located in Karachi’s DHA.

“Police officers along with plain-clothed persons forcibly entered the house of Ammad Yousaf. The raiding team diverted the CCTV cameras of Yousaf’s house, and jumped into the house from the top of the main entrance,” reported ARY News.

Arshad Sharif flies to Dubai

After Yousaf got arrested, anchorperson Arshad Sharif left the country after his name was nominated in the FIR.

ARY News distances itself from Shahbaz Gill’s statement about army

ARY News and Salman Iqbal distanced themselves from Gill’s statement.

In a statement read out by ARY’s senior anchorperson Kashif Abbasi on his show, ‘Off the Record’, said that Salman Iqbal and the management condemns Shahbaz Gill’s statement.

Pemra issues show-cause notice to ARY News for airing ‘hateful, seditious’ content against govt

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Monday issued a show-cause notice to ARY News for airing what it called “false, hateful and seditious” content based on “absolute disinformation with a clear and present threat to national security by instigating rebellion within the armed forces”.

Prior to the issuance of the notice, ARY News went off air in many parts of the country on Monday (August 8).