Pak govt asks media watchdog to reverse ban on TV channels from airing Imran Khan's speeches
Islamabad, Nov 5: The Pakistan government on Saturday directed the country's electronic media watchdog to reverse the ban on television channels from broadcasting or rebroadcasting ousted premier Imran Khan's speeches or media talks, saying the government values the freedom of expression guaranteed in the Constitution.
The decision was taken hours after the Pakistan Electronic Media and Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) prohibited the TV channels from broadcasting or rebroadcasting Khan's speeches and said airing such content would likely to create hatred among the people and endanger national security.
Information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the federal government using its special powers directed PEMRA to reverse the ban.
"Our government believes in the democratic values, freedom of expression given in the Constitution," she said.
Earlier, PEMRA said Khan during his long march speeches and a day ago in an address from hospital "made aspersions against the state institutions by levelling baseless allegations for orchestrating an assassination plan".
The media watchdog said that airing such content violated several laws and was likely to create "hatred among the people" or was prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order or was likely to disturb public peace and tranquillity or endanger national security.
Khan, 70, suffered a bullet injury in the right leg when two gunmen fired a volley of bullets at him in the Wazirabad area of Punjab province on Thursday, where he was leading a protest march against the Shehbaz Sharif government.
Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, alleged in his address to the nation on Friday from hospital that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Major General Faisal Naseer were part of a sinister plot to assassinate him in the same way as former Punjab governor Salman Taseer was killed in 2011 by a religious extremist.
Prime Minister Shehbaz demanded Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial constitute a "full court commission" to probe the allegations levelled by Khan.
He said Khan is a "liar from head to toe" and is trying his best to destroy Pakistan.
The Pakistan Army has also dismissed the ousted premier's remarks as "absolutely unacceptable".
"The baseless allegations hurled at the institution/officials today are highly regrettable and strongly condemned," it said.
This is the second time that PEMRA took action against the airing of Khan's speeches.
In August, the same regulator had imposed a ban on broadcasting Khan's live speeches on all satellite TV channels with immediate effect.
However, in September, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) overturned the ban.
Since he was ousted from power in April, the cricketer-turned politician has repeatedly claimed that the no-trust motion against him was the result of a "foreign conspiracy".
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
