Supreme Court asks PEMRA to stop obscenity on TV channels
Monday, August 13th, 2012 1:11:37 by Faisal Farooq
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Monday said that a lot needed to be done to arrive at a definition of vulgarity and obscenity, directing PEMRA to stop it on TV channels.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar resumed hearing of a petition filed by Justice (Retd) Wajihuddin and former Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed against obscenity aired on TV channels.
The chief justice was of the opinion that obscenity could have been controlled if the members of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) had performed their responsibilities fairly.
He noted, “I do not want anyone to say that restrictions were imposed on broadcast material without hearing the points-of-view of concerned parties”.
Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry also directed the regulatory authority to assemble together all the stakeholders and reach a stance on the issue.
The bench also allowed Cable Operators Association (COA) and Pakistan Broad Casting Association (PBCA) to become party in the case after they submitted their answer in the court.
The CJ remarked, “Those who have filed the petition are respectable persons.” He said, “Serving of PEMRA notice to the TV channels is just a cheating.”
The PEMRA Chairman, who was asked by the bench to take measures to stop obscenity during previous hearing, said that they would observe difference after watching the screen now.
He told the court that, “PBCA says those who have problem with the TV channels should not watch them.”
The CJ said that the answer of the PBCA was the violation of PEMRA rules. The court directed the PEMRA chairman to measure with the help of all the parties to stop obscenity on the TV channels.
Later the SC adjourned the hearing of the case till September 17.
It is vital to mention here that apex court had expressed its surprise when the PEMRA had stated that the government had neither a policy to monitor TV programmes, especially of foreign channels, nor did it have a clear definition of obscenity.
Tags: Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, COA, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Justice (Retd) Wajihuddin, Obscenity, PBCA, pemra, Supreme Court, VulgarityShort URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=30802
Posted by Faisal Farooq
on Aug 13 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan.
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“Nobody knows or everybody including the security establishment is closing eyes to the fact that there is an unwritten agreement between PEMRA and cable operators whereby the latter are allowed to show Indian channels namely Sony & Star Plus besides relaying two extra CD channels through their networks. This agreement has been in practice since Musharraf era when PEMRA needed the help of cable operators to punish some delinquent Pakistani TV channels. Such channels were usually used to be off aired by the operators on the directives of PEMRA to the operators association. Recently, the tactic has been changed to shifting such a channel to 70-80 position in order to disturb signal of the channel to viewers, thus avoiding the blame of off-airing the channel at all without fulfilling legal formalities. Such a liberty to cable operators is a good source of income for both the operators and high ups too. Technically and practically, it is just an effort of one or two days to close all such content through cable networks throughout the country if there is resolve at the ministry of information or PEMRA level. Otherwise off airing such channels by PEMRA on intervention/orders of supreme court or security establishment shall be remembered as a temporary relief to national culture on PEMRA’s part against the propaganda campaign on Indian channels, specifically targeting the young generation, culture and nationalism.I won’t blame TV channels at this stage for the extended indian and vulgar content since they have started moving towards obscenity after this black policy on PEMRA’s part.they are doing this for viewership and ad money. just imagine the content of recently started Urdu1 channel in the name of urdu culture. this is something unbelievable to promote national culture.”