PEMRA also withdraws review appeal against Faizabad dharna case

Islamabad: Before the hearing on September 28 in the Faizabad dharna case in the Supreme Court, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA)—the media watchdog in Pakistan—has filed a petition to withdraw the review petition against the decision of the Faizabad dharna case.

According to details, a separate petition filed by PEMRA stated that revisions against the Faizabad dharna decision are pending.

The position has been adopted in the application that the Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on the review application on September 28.

It is stated in the petition that PEMRA does not wish to pursue the review petition and therefore it is requested that the miscellaneous petition of PEMRA be allowed and leave to withdraw the revision petition against the decision.

It is notable that earlier on yesterday (Tuesday) the Intelligence Bureau (IB) had also filed an application in the Supreme Court regarding the withdrawal of the review application.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, will hear the review petitions against the decision on the spontaneous notice related to the Faizabad sit-in on September 28.

It should be noted that Justice Qazi Faez, in his decision regarding the Faizabad sit-in by Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, has written about secret agencies, including the army's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence and the civilian secret agency Intelligence Bureau, that they expressed their opinion. Freedom should not be stifled.

The judgment said that the role of intelligence agencies should keep an eye on those elements who are a threat to national security and who are fueling violence in the country.

It further said that positive and desirable results can be achieved only when these intelligence agencies act in accordance with the powers given in the Constitution.