Islamabad April 17 (TNS): A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, while taking a suo moto notice of the case related to banning of anti-judiciary speeches, upheld the Lahore High Court decision that had directed PEMRA to bar TV channels from telecasting ‘anti-judiciary’ under article 19 of the Constitutions.
The chief justice also clarified that the LHC did not specifically bar former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz from making speeches.
The court had summoned PEMRA chief, the attorney general for Pakistan, Sharif and Maryam, all advocate generals of provinces and LHC registrar.
The apex court observed that nowhere in the LHC order it had been mentioned that the former premier and his daughter had been banned from speaking. The top judge said that all media outlets and newspapers had misreported the decision without bothering to see the written order. He said that it was a conspiracy to defame the judiciary.
The chief justice said that Sharif and Maryam could better show up in the court and deliver long speeches if they wanted so. The top judge made it clear that nobody could disagree Article 19 of the 1973 Constitution, which says that the freedom is “subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, or incitement to an offence.”
