KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday granted time to a petitioner to file some documents in a petition seeking removal of a ban on media coverage of Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf Hussain.

Citing the secretaries of ministries of interior, law and information and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) as respondents, Petitioner Aftabuddin Baqai stated that the MQM founder had already apologised in respect of his Aug 22, 2016 controversial speech.

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh asked the petitioner whether he approached the court against any decision/order in this regard and sought documents about such a decision.

The bench adjourned the hearing for a date to be fixed after three weeks when the petitioner submitted that he had no such paper and sought time to produce the relevant documents.

The petitioner submitted that after returning to Pakistan he came to know about a ban on media coverage of speeches of the MQM founder

He contended that the party founder had not been convicted on the ground of hate speech in the United Kingdom as well as in Pakistan and sought directive for respondents to remove the ban.

It may be recalled that Pemra had imposed a ban on the broadcast of statements, speeches and images of London-based MQM founder in compliance with an order of the Lahore High Court passed in 2015.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2023