Pakistan: Journalists booked for sedition hours after news channel taken off air

New Delhi: Journalists across Pakistan on Wednesday condemned the arrest of ARY News head Ammad Yousaf and demanded his immediate release. They will call for a nationwide protest if Yousaf is not released immediately, ARY News reported.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in its statement said that the government should come to its senses. PFUJ leader Lala Asad Pathan said, "The government's action is very shameful. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif should take immediate action into the matter."

PFUJ Dastoor Secretary General AH Khanzada said that if Ammad Yousaf is not released immediately, journalists will call for a nationwide protest. "Restrictions on freedom of expression will not be tolerated in any way, Lahore Press Club has also demanded the immediate release of the ARY News head," said the Secretary of Karachi Press Club, Rizwan Bhatti.

The Pakistan Human Rights Commission has also come out in support of the arrested journalist.

HRCP strongly opposes the disruptions to @ARYNEWSOFFICIAL. PEMRA must refrain from arbitrarily taking channels off the air and protect all media houses' right to freedom of expression, responsibly exercised.

— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) August 9, 2022

What is the issue?

ARY is one of Pakistan's biggest private TV channels and has long supported former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been critical of the country's powerful military since being ousted by a no-confidence vote in April.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) served a notice to ARY News on Tuesday and claimed that "hateful, seditious and malicious content on your channel raises serious concerns about your mala fide intent". It directed the channel's CEO to appear for a hearing on Wednesday.

PEMRA bans ARY News transmission. Blames ARY "for airing objectionable, hateful, seditious, based on absolute disinformation with clear and present threat to national sec by instigating rebellion within the armed forces with malafide intent to cause rift between govt and forces" pic.twitter.com/ySRFvp8KKg

— Ammad Yousaf (@AmmadYousaf) August 8, 2022

The PEMRA notice referred to an appearance on ARY News Monday by Shahbaz Gill, an official of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, and alleged that he made comments "tantamount to inciting the rank and file of armed forces towards revolt".

Prior to the issuance of the notice, ARY News went off the air in many parts of the country on Monday evening and the outlet's senior vice-president Yousaf was arrested from Karachi in the early hours of Wednesday, the channel said.

According to ARY News, he was arrested without a warrant. “Police officers, along with plain-clothed personnel, forcibly entered the house of Ammad Yousaf. The raiding team diverted the CCTV cameras of Yousaf’s house, and jumped into the house from the top of the main entrance,” the channel said.

PTI said, according to AFP, Gill too was detained in Islamabad on Tuesday afternoon and the party was unable to locate him, but city police declined to confirm the arrest. "This is an abduction not an arrest. Can such shameful acts take place in any democracy? Political workers treated as enemies," Khan tweeted.

یہ گرفتاری نہیں، سراسر اغواء ہے! کسی جمہوریت میں کیا ایسے شرمناک واقعات ممکن ہیں؟ سیاسی کارکنان سے دشمنوں کا سا سلوک روا رکھا جارہا ہے۔ اور یہ سب بیرونی پشت پناہی سےمسلط کی جانےوالی مجرموں کی سرکار کو ہم سے تسلیم کروانے کیلئے کیا جارہا ہے۔ pic.twitter.com/3NYS1BCjtf

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) August 9, 2022

Who are the others arrested?

The founder and CEO of the network, Salman Iqbal, along with two other anchors have also been booked for sedition. On the complaint of the Station House Officer (SHO), an FIR was registered at Karachi's Memon Goth police station. According to the channel, the FIR was registered just an hour before the arrest of Yousaf.

Anchorpersons, Arshad Sharif and Khawar Ghuman have been booked under the 'sedition' charges. The FIR has been registered under sections 120, 124A, 131, and 153A in which sedition and charges of plotting alleged conspiracy have been included.

What had Shahbaz Gill said?

Dawn reports that during his talk with the channel, Gill had alleged that the government was trying to provoke the lower and middle tier of the army against the PTI, saying the families of such "rank and file" support Imran Khan and his party "which is fuelling rage within the government".

He had also alleged that the "strategic media cell” of the ruling PML-N was spreading false information and fake news to create divisions between PTI chief Imran Khan and the armed forces.

Gill had said the government leaders, including Javed Latif, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and former National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq, had lambasted the army in the past "and they were at government positions now".

With input from agencies

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