PEMRA bans Bol News and Bol Entertainment transmission

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has announced to stop the broadcasting of Boll News and Bol Entertainment.

However, the management of Bol TV has announced that they would continue to stand by the veracity and truth.

It said, “Let the Bol TV speak”, adding that the imported government has stopped the transmission of the Bol TV network.

The management said that Bol has been punished for telecasting the public meetings of Imran Khan and the PTI.

Earlier, an official announcement released by the PEMRA on Monday said that a meeting presided over by the authority Chairman Saleem Baig held in Islamabad on Monday reviewed matters related to the issuance of licences to Bol News and Bol Entertainment

The announcement said that the licences issued to M/s Labbaik Private Limited were revoked in 2017 by the authority.

It further said that the licences were canceled as the Ministry of Interior had not issued security clearance to Bol News and Bol Entertainment.

The authority’s order is pending in the Sindh High Court on the plea filed by the company, the announcement said. In the meantime, Bol News and Bol Entertainment continued their transmissions. However, the Sindh High Court disposed of the pending case in 2021, the announcement said.

During the hearing, Pemra’s lawyer had taken the position in the court that the license of Bol News is subject to the clearance of the Ministry of Interior.

In today’s meeting, the authority reviewed the records of ongoing correspondence by the Interior Ministry and the court decision.

The licences of Bol Entertainment expired in December 2021 whereas the said company has not submitted any application to the authority for the renewal of licence.

Political, religious, and social circles and people from all walks of life have strongly condemned the ban on Bol TV.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan has strongly censured the blockage of Bol TV transmission.

Imported govt has taken media & journalists' censorship & persecution to fascistic levels. Now Bol has been suspended simply because it gave us coverage. Message to all media houses is to blackout the largest & most popular national pol party from mainstream media. Unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/GUG73YULmA

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 5, 2022