ARY News off air

After airing Shahbaz Gill on news beeper, ARY News was put off the air. The decision and action indeed were swift creating a sensation in the country as this channel was considered beyond reproach. While local cable operators replaced the ARY News slot with other channels, other subscribers saw a static screen displaying the message: “The channel is currently unavailable. Sorry for the inconvenience.” PEMRA had issued a notice to the channel for airing what it called was “false, hateful and seditious” content based on “absolute disinformation with a clear and present threat to national security by instigating rebellion within the armed forces” and that Shahbaz Gill had alleged that the government was trying to provoke the lower and middle tier of the army against the PTI, saying the families of such “rank and file” support Imran Khan and his party “which is fueling rage within the government”. PEMRA added that the statement made by the guest on ARY News is a violation of Article 19 of the Constitution as well as PEMRA laws. PEMRA sought a response from the CEO of ARY News Salman Iqbal and have asked him to appear personally before them. The authorities also arrested the Director News of the channel from his home in Karachi in the dead of the night. TW