Pakistan Bans Airing of Ex-PM Khan’s Speeches, Media Talks
The curbs, slapped on late Sunday, were swiftly condemned by critics as an assault on the country's freedom of speech and independent media, demanding the government remove them.
The state-run Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority ordered all satellite television channels to stop showing Khan’s “live and recorded” speeches and media talks immediately, warning that violators will have their licenses canceled.
The ban came hours after Khan, 70, addressed supporters of his opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) part, outside his residence in the eastern city of Lahore and alleged corruption against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
In Sunday’s live televised speech, the cricket-star-turned politician again accused Pakistan’s powerful military and its recently retired chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, of protecting incumbent rulers in alleged corruption cases. He also accused an unnamed officer of the country’s spy agency of unleashing a crackdown on PTI leaders and social media activists.
The media regulator claimed in its directive that Khan was "leveling baseless allegations and spreading hate speech through his provocative statements against state institutions and officers.”
The authority hours later suspended the license of the ARY News channel for airing clips of Khan’s speech in a “willful defiance” of the prohibition order.
PEMRA had previously banned satellite television channels from broadcasting Khan’s live speeches, but a high court outlawed those restrictions as a violation of freedom of speech.
The country’s independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in a statement Sunday it “deplores” the latest decision to ban the PTI chief speeches.
“We have always opposed measures to curb voices…and continue to stand by our commitment to freedom of speech, irrespective of the person’s political opinion. The ban must be lifted immediately,” the watchdog stressed.
Arrest warrants
Khan’s speech Sunday came hours after police tried to serve arrest warrants on him to ensure his appearance in an anti-graft court on charges he had unlawfully sold state gifts received from foreign dignitaries while serving as prime minister. He is required to appear in court Tuesday.
A police statement later said they could not directly serve the arrest warrants on Khan because his aides told them he was not at home.
Pakistan’s election commission had recently found Khan guilty of selling the gifts, prompting the Federal Investigation Agency to file charges against him and issue arrest warrants for avoiding appearing in court.
The opposition politician, popular among Pakistani youth and urban voters, rejects the charges as politically motivated and part of the Sharif administration’s alleged drive to victimize the opposition.
Khan has been demanding the government announce early elections since a parliamentary no-confidence vote toppled his nearly four-year-old government last April. Sharif, the then-opposition leader, succeeded Khan and cobbled together a coalition government of about a dozen political parties.
Sharif has rejected calls for a snap vote, saying it will be held later this year when Parliament completes its mandatory five-year term.
The deposed prime minister has led massive countrywide protest rallies to push for his demands. Khan was shot at and wounded while leading a rally last November. He accused Sharif and his administration of plotting to kill him, charges the government rejected.
On Sunday, Khan defended his absence from court, saying authorities did not provide adequate security during his multiple court appearances in the capital, Islamabad, last week. He again denied any wrongdoing and dismissed as fake dozens of lawsuits the government has launched against him since his ouster.
Until now, most Pakistani satellite channels would mute parts of Khan’s speeches where he would criticize Bajwa and other military officers for their role in removing him from office and for their continued involvement in national politics.
Just days before he stepped down from office after an extended six-year term last November, Gen. Bajwa acknowledged the military had been meddling in national politics for decades but decided in 2021 to end the “unconstitutional” practice. It was a rare admission, but Bajwa’s claims of ending the interference have been met with deep suspicions and skepticism by Khan’s party as well as independent critics of the military.
Pakistan’s military has staged several coups against elected governments, ruling the country for nearly half of its 75 years of existence. The institution is deeply involved in commercial and business activities but those who question the activity often face pressures and are dubbed traitors by pro-military media outlets.