The Islamabad High Court’s Justice Babar Sattar has grilled the federal government on how the military’s media wing was assuming the “exclusive right” to decide who qualifies as a defence analyst, it emerged on Wednesday.
The development came to light on Tuesday when the IHC issued an order about a case that challenged Pemra’s directives mandating retired officers to seek permission from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) before appearing on television.
In April 2019, Pemra instructed all television channels to seek prior clearance from the ISPR before inviting retired military officers on news and current affairs programmes “to solicit their views on matters of national security”.
The directives were challenged by the Ex-Servicemen Legal Forum in the IHC while the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society supported them.
The IHC order said Assistant Attorney General Adeel Akhtar Raja had relied on the response filed by the defence ministry and ISPR during the hearing.
“When asked as to what is the legal standing of ISPR and how is ISPR assuming the exclusive right to determine who can be a defence analyst in Pakistan, the learned assistant attorney general [sought] time to assist the court,” the order said.
It further said that the Pemra counsel was asked several questions such as what the pre-clearance of individuals providing content on television had to do with the country’s sovereignty or security, how the authority could impose a prior restraint on speech, why it felt the need to issue the directives, and whether any request for the purpose was received from any sources within the military or ISPR, to which the lawyer sought time to assist the IHC.
“Let Pemra produce before the court the original noting file on the basis of which the impugned notification was processed, recommended, and issued to assist the court as to why Pemra felt the need to issue the said notification,” Justice Sattar ordered. The case was adjourned until November 20.
