Bol News closure: NA Standing Committee seeks explanation from DG PEMRA

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting sought an explanation from Director-General Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) over the closure of Bol News.

A meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information was held in which Jamaat-e-Islami MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali raised the matter regarding the closure of Bol News.

During the meeting, DG PEMRA said Bol News was not closed as it did not security clearance and the license of Bol Entertainment had expired.

MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali asked DG PEMRA if the channel would be closed if there need for any minor legal action. “Don’t you see that there are thousands of workers associated with Bol News?” he asked. “There is a flood in the country, high inflation and you took a backhand decision to close the channel.”

Standing Committee Chairperson Javaria Zafar Aheer said that the channels should not be shut down. However, she said channels are responsible for completing all legal requirements.

Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali said the Bol News Deputy Bureau Chief of Bol News Ali Sher, who was present in the committee meeting, should be given an opportunity to present his point of view.

Bol News Deputy Bureau Chief Islamabad Ali Sher informed the Standing Committee that Sindh High Court has a few moments ago ordered to restore the transmission of the channel.

“I should be told why PEMRA seeks security clearance for the channel that covers the other side. Where is the justice in shutting down Bol News without any notice,” he asked.

He told the committee that Bol News has been closed several hours before Imran Khan’s speech for weeks and is closed for several hours afterward. “Is this freedom of the press?” he asked.

On this occasion, the Standing Committee of Information appreciated the decision of the Sindh High Court and the members hailed the decision to restore Bol News.

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