ARY News suspension: PFUJ signals nationwide protests

KARACHI: Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Monday strongly condemned the nationwide suspension of ARY News transmission, ARY News reported.

In a statement, PFUJ President Afzal Butt demanded the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to immediately restore ARY News transmission and warned of countrywide protests if the transmission was not restored in 24 hours.

Rawalpindi-Islamabad Electronic Media Association also slammed PEMRA over the suspension of ARY News transmission.

The transmission of ARY News was suspended in different parts of the country on Monday evening following the orders of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to the cable operators.

The transmission of ARY News was suspended in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Sialkot, Hyderabad, Faisalabad and other cities. The position of ARY News was also changed in different areas of Rawalpindi city.

پی ڈی ایم اور پیپلز پارٹی کی مشترکہ حکومت سے ایک سوال پوچھنا ہے ؟
کیا ARY نیوز کی زبان بند کرنے سے جمہوریت مضبوط اور میڈیا و اظہار کی آزادی ممکن ہو پائے گی !
اور اگر نہیں تو پھر بار بار “ پیمرا “ موجودہ حکمرانوں کے منہ پر یہ کالک کیوں مل رہا ہے #RestoreARYNews pic.twitter.com/jdbelGGlSU

— Lala Asad Pathan (@LalaAsadPathan) August 8, 2022

Following the shutdown of ARY News, several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders including Shireen Mazari, Shahbaz Gill, Ashraf Jabbar Qureshi and others took to Twitter and condemned PEMRA’s illegal act.

This is now on my screen instead of ARY! pic.twitter.com/z30BAiXlrV

— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) August 8, 2022

Strategic media cell’

The suspension of ARY News transmission is a clear violation of Islamabad High Court (IHC) orders which barred PEMRA from closure and relegation of ARY News to lower numbers on TV channels sequence.

The suspension of transmission comes hours after ARY News aired a report that the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has reportedly activated its strategic media cell to malign Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its chairman Imran Khan besides building a narrative to prove the rival as an anti-armed forces power.

The report aired by ARY News on June 27 regarding the activation of the ruling PML-N’s strategic media cell proved to be true. It emerged that the PML-N activated its strategic media cell to run a malicious campaign against Imran Khan and PTI to prove it was an anti-military or anti-armed forces party.