ARY NEWS transmission: PFUJ announces sit-in in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Wednesday announced that it would approach cable operators along with the Sindh High Court (SHC) orders to restore transmission of ARY NEWS.

PFUJ Secretary General Rana Azeem while announcing the protest movement against forced shutdown of ARY NEWS transmission on cable said that they would pressurize cable operators to enforce the directives from the SHC.

“If transmission is not restored then we will stage sit-in,” he said. “We will stage a protest demo on August 29 in multiple cities and on August 30, a sit-in will be staged in Islamabad near Supreme Court or PEMRA head office,” he said.

He warned that journalists would not back off from their demands even if they area arrested.

He lambasted chairman NEPRA and said that he has stated before the high court that they have not barred transmission of ARY NEWS. “If it is not PEMRA then who else is halting the transmission?” he asked.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued the written order regarding the restoration of the ARY News transmission and sought a compliance report from the parties.

The Sindh High Court (SHC) stated in its four-page written order that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has the power to take disciplinary action against those creating hurdles in the transmission of the television channels.

The court directed that the non-compliance of action against the responsible cable orders will be considered a constitutional violation.

The SHC issued the written order following the contempt of court petition against the non-compliance of the court order regarding the restoration of ARY News transmission.