Faiz Hamid pressurized PEMRA during Faizabad sit-in: Absar Alam

Islamabad: Former chairman of the media regulatory body on Tuesday said that former ISI chief Faiz Hamid pressurized Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) during Faizabad sit-in.

According to details, the former chairman of PEMRA, Absar Alam, submitted his statement before the Supreme Court regarding the sit-in in Faizabad.

Absar Alam stated that Ex-ISI chief General retired Faiz Hamid pressurized him to take action against senior journalist Najam Sethi and ban the former US ambassador Husain Haqqani however his demands were not met.

According to the former chief of the media watchdog, a letter was sent in April 2017 to Pakistan's Chief Justice and former prime minister, Faiz Hamid, about the pressure Faiz Hamid and his officers were putting on TV outlets.

Absar Alam stated that he held a press conference to expose the threatening calls he was receiving and the harassment of PEMRA officials.

He continued by saying that during the Faizabad sit-in, one channel was banned for breaking PEMRA regulations, but the former head of ISI insisted on banning more channels. In the meantime, Marriyum Aurangzeb requested on November 25, 2017, that all TV channels be banned by the media regulatory agency.

Furthermore, all TV channels were ultimately banned during Faizabad sit-in on the directions of the then Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and “I was stripped from the chairmanship of PEMRA two years after the decision” Absar Alam added.