ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday allowed anchorperson Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain to appear on television, but upheld aPakistanElectronic MediaRegulatoryAuthority (Pemra) decision to suspend his Ramazan show on Bol TV.
On May 25, the electronic media watchdog had slapped a 30-day ban on Dr Hussain for creating `unwarranted drama` on religious matters during a segment of his programme.
Pemra`s directive not only barred Mr Hussain from appearing on any TV channel for a month but also banned the broadcast of all programmes hosted by him onBolTV.
`Dr Hussain, merely for creadng sensadon and in order to achieve maximum rating,createdunwarranted drama on the basis of religion and hurt the sentiments of different sects and the public at large,` Pemra had observedinitsnotification.
Dr Hussain, however, challenged the Pemra directive in the Islamabad High Court.
Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, who heard his plea, ruled that Pemra could not impose a blanket ban on an anchorperson since the regulatory body only had the power to take specific broadcasts off air.
The court ruled that banning an anchorperson did not fall under Pemra`s domain.
Justice Aurangzeb partially suspended the notification related to the ban on Dr Hussain and allowed him to appear in programmes other than his own TV show.
