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ISLAMABAD, September 5 (PTI) Pakistan’s media watchdog on Monday decided to shut down two channels run by a Karachi media group that criticized the government for failing to secure a security clearance from the Home Ministry.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said Bol News and Bol Entertainment have been shut down.
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PEMRA decided at its meeting that the channel should not be allowed to operate until a security clearance has been issued by the Home Office.
“Therefore, PEMRA has reviewed all Home Office records, court orders and notices and subsequently decided to revoke the licences issued to Labbaik (Pvt) Ltd (Bol News and Bol Entertainment) with immediate effect,” a statement from the regulator said.
Also read | Pakistani media agency shut down Bol News in another crackdown on freedom of speech.
It also noted that Bol Entertainment’s license expires in December 2021, and the company has not contacted PEMRA for renewal.
However, Pakistan’s Justice Movement Party chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan called the decision part of the current government’s policy of banning media sympathetic to his party.
“The fascism and censorship we are witnessing in Pakistan today is unprecedented!” he tweeted.
Recently, Ball News also faced a suspension for making controversial views on the current political crisis and military leadership on talk shows.
This is the second case in recent months to be criticized by Khan.
Earlier, the transmission of ARY News was blocked, but it was later withdrawn due to backlash from various sectors of the community.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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