Pakistan regulator bans Aamir Liaquat Husain from TV show
Details
Rebecca Hawkes
| 30 January 2017

Pakistan’s media regulator has banned TV host Aamir Liaquat Husain from screens following allegations that his broadcasts include hate speech and incitement to violence.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) stated that Husain “wilfully and repeatedly” made derogatory comments and accused a number of people of being “anti-state” and “anti-Islam” on his show, Aisay Nahi Chalega (This is Not Acceptable), on the Bol News channel. Those included in his comments were four liberal activists known for criticising the country’s security policies and opposing religious extremists, who went missing in January. The Pakistan Government has said it is conducting an investigation into their disappearance.

Husain has accused the missing activists of being blasphemers and traitors to Pakistan, charges that are denied by their supporters. Such charges have previously resulted in deaths at the hands of vigilantes and mobs in Pakistan.

Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir has filed a police case against Husain, accusing him of hate speech and incitement to violence. Supporters say the allegations could endanger the activists’ lives as well as those of their families.

Defying the ban in a broadcast on Thursday (26 January), Husain said he has been unfairly accused of hate speech, and intends to start legal action against the ban.

PEMRA has since given Bol News seven days to explain why it failed to comply with the order or face losing its broadcasting licence.