Pak govt may introduce ban on live TV coverage

Islamabad, Jun 1: Pakistan's government has decided to invoke some existing laws to curb unhindered media coverage, particularly electronic media's live coverage of outdoor events especially those of suspended top judge Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani has already warned newspapers and private television channels against crossing what he termed 'legal limits'.

Local media today quoted Mr Durrani as saying that the government was annoyed over the live coverage of a recent seminar at the Supreme Court in which several fiery speeches were made, punctuated with anti-government slogans.

''An element clearly violated the limits that the Constitution and the law of the land put on every citizen about protecting the honour and respect of the judiciary and the armed forces,'' he was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper.

The minister did not specify the possible actions which the government intended to initiate but warned that official laws, especially the ones about controlling the live coverage of events, would be applied.

Information Ministry officials said the government, while using some Pemra laws, was planning to make it mandatory for television channels to seek prior permission for live coverage of outdoor events.

If applied strictly, the government may restrict all live coverages, particularly of events like opposition rallies or events relating to the judicial crisis.

A government petition, pending in the Supreme Court, had criticised the slogans raised at the seminar by lawyers.

''The events of the past two months have brought into sharp focus the issue of freedom with responsibility and a matter of concern for everyone within the government or outside it,'' the Information Minister said.

He said the judicial issue, which required a judicial verdict, had been politicised to the extent that the Supreme Court's own directives were also not adhered to.

UNI