Lahore High Court Bans TV Coverage Of Protests On The Mall

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) for ensuring that no TV channel should cover protests being held on The Mall

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Nov, 2019 ) :The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) for ensuring that no tv channel should cover protests being held on The Mall.

The court further ordered the Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA) officials to hold negotiations with its employees protesting on The Mall and resolve the issue besides calling off the strike. The authorities will take stern action against any person who will continue protest after 2.00pm and also terminate his contract, it added.

The court also sought Draft Red Zone Act on the next date of the hearing, Nov 25.

Justice Jawad Hassan passed the orders while hearing petitions filed by Mian Asghar Ali and others against protests on The Mall.

At the outset of the proceedings, PLRA Director General Shaukat Ali appeared before the court and submitted that the PLRA contractual employees were protesting on The Mall for their regularisation and increase in salary.

Although the authorities has dealt with the issue but they were protesting on The Mall since Nov 11, he added.

The DG further stated that contracts of several employees had been terminated, adding that the authority would negotiate with the employees at 2.00pm today for calling off their protest and stern action would be taken against absentees and their contacts would be terminated, in case of failure.

DIG Operations Lahore Ashfaq Ahmad Khan stated that all efforts were being made to ensure smooth flow of traffic on The Mall. He submitted that the government had formulated a policy through a notification for restricting protests on The Mall. However, an anti-riot act was required to restrict protests on The Mall, he added.

He stated that the police had not taken any stern action against the PLRA employees as the department concerned was negotiating with them.

Home Department Section officer Ahmad Bilal apprised the court that Draft Red Zone Act had been prepared in compliance with the directions of this court in various cases.

Petitioner's counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique argued that people were facing problems due to strikes and protests on The Mall by various crowds especially PLRA employees. He pleaded with the court to direct authorities concerned for implementing Red Zone policy. He further stated that due to absence of PLRA employees, the public was facing serious hardships to get their required land records, which was a violation of fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.

Mall Road Traders Associations's counsel also submitted that due to protests of the PLRA and special persons, The Mall had been blocked for last 13 days and no one could access it which badly affected fundamental rights of the traders.

At this, the court observed that right to peaceful protest was continuously misunderstood and it was used as a licence to create inconvenience to the general public.The protesters who claim to espouse their cause often forget that their right to protest ends when other person's right to free movement and right to trade starts, it added.

The court also observed that the PLRA Act 2017 empowered the authority to terminate the services of any employee.

Subsequently, the court adjourning further hearing till Nov 25 ordered the Pemra for ensuring that no TV channel should cover protests on The Mall. The court also directed the PLRA authorities for holding negotiations with the employees.