The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Monday warned TV channels against airing content against the country’s armed forces and judiciary.
The media watchdog said that legal action under the relevant laws would be pursued in case of any violation by the private electronic media, reported The Express Tribune.
“It has been observed that a few satellite TV channels are airing content which tantamount to casting aspersions against state institutions i.e. armed forces and judiciary,” the regulatory authority said in its directives posted on its Twitter handle.
“Airing such content violated PEMRA rules, provisions of the PEMRA Electronic Media (Programmes and Advertisement) Code of Conduct 2015 and the principles laid down by the superior courts,” it added.
This comes after the Pakistan military on Sunday warned politicians and journalists against dragging the armed forces into ongoing political discourse in the country.
In a rare statement, the media wing of the Pakistan military said “unsubstantiated, defamatory and provocative statements” were extremely damaging.
“Recently there has been intensified and deliberate attempts to drag Pakistan Armed Forces and their leadership in ongoing political discourse in the country,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement.
“These attempts are manifest through direct, insinuated or nuanced references to Armed Forces as well as their senior leadership, made by some political leaders, a few journalists and analysts on public forums and various communication platforms including social media,” the ISPR added.
The role of the Pakistan military came under the scanner in the wake of Imran Khan’s ouster last month. Trends against the Pakistan armed forces and its leadership saw intense activity on social media platforms, the Dawn newspaper reported.