NA Speaker Approaches IHC Against Baseless Allegations

Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq approached the Islamabad High Court to challenge the order of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra)'s Council of Complaints in which it had dismissed his complaint against a private TV channel and its anchor, Rauf Klasra

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Sep, 2017 ) : Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq approached the Islamabad High Court to challenge the order of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra)'s Council of Complaints in which it had dismissed his complaint against a private tv channel and its anchor, Rauf Klasra.

The petitioner alleged that Rauf Klasra anchor of 92 Channel leveled false allegations against him of kidnapping father of a NADRA official to pressurize him to refrain from documenting evidence of alleged rigging during elections in NA-122, from where Sadiq won.

He made PEMRA through its Chairman, M/S Galaxy Broadcast Network (Pvt) Ltd - 92 news - and Klasra respondents in the petition.

He stated that his authorized person, Abdul Jabbar Ali, the then Secretary NA, lodged a complaint before PEMRA on September 7, 2016, against the false allegations aired by 92 News on September 6, 2016, through its programme "Muqabil".

PEMRA referred the application to its Islamabad's council of complaints for opinion, which, he said, instead of dealing with the sensitivity of this issue remained busy about the technicalities.

He said the Council of Complaints proceeded ex-parte on July 31 "to oblige" channel and its anchor and decided the matter against all norms of justice. The speaker has prayed the court to set aside PEMRA's Counsel of Complaint order of July 31 and redress grievance of the petitioner.