LAHORE - The Lahore High Court Wednesday ordered Pemra to immediately stop telecasts of movies about the holy prophets on the cable network and the PTA to filter out all blasphemous web content.
The court also summoned the chairmen of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on October 5 for explanation as to how such movies and videos were being aired on the Internet or cable networks despite the earlier verdict issued in 2011. Justice Ijazul Ahsan also sought reply from other authorities concerned, including the interior and foreign ministries.
The court passed these directives on a petition moved by a religious party Aalmi Majls-e-Tahafuz-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwat (AMKN) through Advocate Ishtiaq Ahmad Khan, saying that the PTA had not fulfilled its responsibility of monitoring.
The petitioner said blasphemous videos and other material was still available on the Internet. He pointed out that pictures, movies and dramas on all prophets were not allowed as the Federal Shariat Court passed order in this regard in 2011. He told the court that the business of ‘blasphemous content’ should be stopped in the country.
He made an appeal to the court to direct the authorities concerned to stop telecast of video or movie on prophets through cable networks. He also made a request for launching a probe over the issue.
The court will resume hearing on October 5.
Case against gov: The Lahore High Court chief justice on Wednesday allowed making part of record the notifications of termination of Latif Khosa from the posts of attorney general and adviser to prime minister in a case against the Punjab governor.
A petitioner moved the court, challenging the appointment of Khosa as the Punjab governor, saying: “Khosa was removed from his two previous jobs – attorney general and prime minister’s adviser on IT – thus he (the governor) was ineligible.
He made a request to the court for taking up the case at the earliest as the matter was of a great importance and make part the record the notifications.
The chief justice allowed the plea and fixed for hearing in the first week of October. The chief justice disposed of the civil miscellaneous application moved by Nawaz Cheema in the main petition.