Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news
KARACHI: Over the past few months, the country has been subjected to political turmoil. When sitting Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted by his opposition, it marked the start of what would be a messy power struggle. And things keep getting progressively worse with time. In latest events, the police has issued an arrest for Imran Khan. To add to the confusion is the fact that channels such as ARY and BOL are being censored for siding with the former government.
The warrant issued for the arrest of Imran Khan was booked under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (Punishment for Acts of Terrorism) in regards to the statements he made during his most recent rally. During his speech, Khan criticized top police officials and a judge for the arrest of his chief of staff Dr. Shahbaz Gill earlier this month. As per the statement issued against Imran Khan, his arrest was contingent to, “The way Imran Khan made his speech and the threats he made led to fear and terror among the police, judiciary and the common people and it harmed the peace of country.”
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Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah spoke up against the PTI chief and stated that Khan will “have to face the law for threatening and hurling abuses at the Magistrate and Police officers. Such acts of brazen thuggery are responsible for instigating extremism in society.”
Imran Niazi will have to face the law for threatening and hurling abuses at the Magistrate and Police officers. Such acts of brazen thuggery are responsible for instigating extremism in society. You [IK] are not allowed to challenge the writ of the state by inciting rebellion.
— Rana SanaUllah Khan (@RanaSanaullahPK) August 20, 2022
However, there has been a media blackout especially for the channels who side with the former government. Earlier this month, ARY News was removed from the TV list of channels for allowing Dr. Shahbaz Gill to come on air and make statements against the army. Recent reports are claiming that BOL has also been blacked out for reporting the events of the attempted arrest of Imran Khan on air. However, this is not the first time PTI has faced media censorship. When Khan was ousted and held political rallies, channels were banned by PEMRA from covering his speeches.
However, despite the media blackout hundreds of PTI supporters flocked to Bani Gala in support of Imran Khan. Several prominent party members also Tweeted in favor of Khan and urged people to protest against the government’s actions.
عمران خان کی گرفتاری کے آرڈرز جاری۔ اپنی خودداری مانگنے کی جسارت کی قیمت چکھانے کا وقت آگیا ہے۔نکلو پاکستان کی خاطر!
— Murad Saeed (@MuradSaeedPTI) August 21, 2022
This comes after PTI Chief of Staff Dr. Shahbaz Gill was arrested for allegedly speaking out against the army on live TV. Party members claim he was tortured while imprisoned.
