ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan Electronic Media Council of Complaints (CoC) here Saturday recommended Rs 500,000 fine each on various television channels, which telecast the news of the marriage of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on July 12 without verification.
The complaint was lodged by head of the PTI central media department Iftikhar Durrani. The meeting chaired by Mohtarma Shamim Humyun gave the observation that all channels which violated the code of conduct by airing the news should pay the fine and tender an apology.
Durrani requested the council to take action against only Dunya TV and drop the charges against the rest, but the council opined that this would be against the spirit of the justice, so all the 12 channels violating the code should be penalized.
The channels included Dunya News, Geo News, Neo News, Royal News, Khyber News, Channel 24, Channel 92, News One, Such TV, Roze News, Channel 5 and Geo Tez.
The CoC also recommended that if any channel failed to deposit the fine, its license should be revoked.
The council while hearing the complaint of Mariyam Nawaz, against the management of Channel-24 declared the reply of the channel as unsatisfactory and imposed a fine of Rs 500,000 on its management.
The channel in its programme Khara Such on June 10 had claimed that in the absence of the Prime Minister, his daughter was running the affairs of the government by showing a two-year old picture.
Moreover the council recommended that if the channel failed to apologize and pay amount of fine its license should be revoked.
The council also imposed Rs 200,000 fine on News One for hot talk between the two guests in its programme Ten PM With Nadia Mirza. The CoC also recommended in case the channel failed to pay the fine and apologise, its license should be revoked.
The council deferred the action on Opposition Leaders’ complaint against Samaa TV for airing baseless news against him on June 27, till the report of Chief Secretary Sindh.
The council imposed Rs 200,000 fine on Roze TV on the complaint of Executive Director Lok Virsa Fauzia Saeed as the channel failed to provide proof about the allegations levelled in its programme.
On the complaint of several MNAs of JUI-F for terming the members of Parliament traitors in its programme “Tabdeeli” the council imposed Rs 500,000 fine on Neo TV. In case the channel failed to pay fine and tender an apology, the council recommended that its license should be revoked.
Source: APP
