Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Thursday barred television channels from airing the speeches of the absconding accused and proclaimed offenders.

The regulatory body in a handout barred to broadcast the speeches and interviews of proclaimed offenders and absconders on national television. PEMRA also barred the broadcast of any sort of debate on the possible outcome of the undergoing trials.

The decision has come after the speeches of the absconding three-time prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif were broadcast on the national television and the government demanded the authorities to take notice of it.

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Nawaz was seen “laughing the ban off”.

“A lot more might follow,” he said during an informal conversation with journalists in London.

In October 2019, PEMRA directed all satellite television channels licensees to form an in-house committee to ensure compliance with the Electronic Media Code of Conduct, 2015.

The directives issued by PEMRA said that TV channels should ensure deployment of effective time delay mechanism and an impartial and independent Monitoring Committee or Editorial Board be constituted, as required under clause 17 of Electronic Media (Programs and Advertisement) Code of Conduct 2015, Radio Pakistan reported.

The news channels’ owners have been asked not to allow their platform to be used by anyone to mislead the public through disinformation conjecturing and speculations.

PEMRA warned the media owners that licencees shall be held responsible for any biased, unfair analysis or propaganda against the judiciary and state institutions by their employees.

It also advised media channels to invite participants with due care, having credibility as fair and unbiased analysts with requisite knowledge and expertise on the subject matter.