LHC suspends PEMRA ban over Lahore motorway rape case coverage

LAHORE: A bench of Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday suspended PEMRA ban over media coverage of Lahore motorway rape case, ARY NEWS reported.

A division bench of the high court headed by Chief Justice Qasim Khan heard a petition of Advocate Abuzar Salman Niazi against the ban on media coverage of the incident.

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) had imposed ban on media coverage on directives of an anti-terrorism court hearing the case.

The bench while suspending the ban summoned reply from the parties on October 22.

Chief Justice Qasim Khan said that under the right of information, the people could not be barred  from being aware of the matter. “Why the speeches of ministers and advisers (over the case) were telecast when PEMRA had banned the media coverage”, the chief justice questioned.

“The time has gone when all sins of a government were pardoned, while the opposition had to be punished without any crime,” Justice Qasim Khan said.

The bench ordered that the media would not release the photos of the accused and the affected family. However, the media coverage of the case would have no curbs, according to the court order.

The bench also summoned record of the press conferences of ministers and advisers on media with regard to arrest of the accused.