It was a strange time. Pakistani news anchor Kashif Abbasi was discussing a legal complaint brought by a lawyer against former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday night during his live TV program.
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| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
After introducing himself, Mr. Abbasi pauses and explains, "He filed an application under article six against Imran Khan... I apologize to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman.
We attempted to contact Mr. Abbasi, but he did not respond.
You probably had a difficult time hearing Imran Khan's name or seeing his image in Pakistani media over the last week.
This crackdown is being carried out in the wake of his arrest one month ago on corruption accusations. On May 9, protests broke out all throughout the nation as Mr. Khan was removed from an Islamabad court building. There were both calm and violent protests.
Attacks were made on military structures, including the residence of the top military commander in Lahore. The military has announced its intention to trial the suspected attackers in military courts, which human rights organizations like Amnesty International have argued is against international law. The police have detained hundreds of Khan supporters.
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| Image Source - Google | Image by <br><a href= BBC News |
This crackdown is being carried out in the wake of his arrest one month ago on corruption accusations. On May 9, protests broke out all throughout the nation as Mr. Khan was removed from an Islamabad court building. There were both calm and violent protests.
Attacks were made on military structures, including the residence of the top military commander in Lahore. The military has announced its intention to trial the suspected attackers in military courts, which human rights organizations like Amnesty International have argued is against international law. The police have detained hundreds of Khan supporters.
They informed us that Imran Khan's name shouldn't be spoken, his photo shouldn't be displayed, his voice shouldn't be heard, and even a mention on the ticker tapes of the networks was forbidden. Mr. Khan should only be referred to by his official title as the chairman of his party, the PTI if he needed to be mentioned at all.
The BBC was informed by two individuals that they had communicated with the proprietors of the TV networks they are employed by personally. They claim that top military and intelligence authorities had summoned the owners to a meeting where they made it plain to the channels what was anticipated.
One insider who works for Pakistan TV said, "They were told you will not run any news that bears his name and if you do you will be responsible." All media contributors agreed to speak with us under the guise of anonymity.
The army has been contacted by the BBC for comment, but no answer has yet been received. The director general of Pemra acknowledged that the order had been granted, but he insisted that news outlets had not received a direction to cease discussing Imran Khan.
It's not the first time a politician has faced a ban; remarks by Imran Khan's political rival Nawaz Sharif were also prohibited while he was in office.
One journalist informed me that censorship has always existed in Pakistan in one form or another. "The ISPR, the military's press wing, used regularly phone me and threaten me with penalties if I spoke Imran Khan negatively.
Because the opposition leaders were imprisoned at the time, it was difficult to contact them. Now it's difficult to get a PTI representative on. The primary distinction between Khan's administration and the present is that the 9 May violence is now officially justified.
Media professionals who talked with us discussed how this legislation would impact their outlets.
"The top channels here asked: 'How are you going to manage this?'" If they do not air any news on the PTI and instead promote government press conferences, there is a concern that the networks would lose their credibility sooner rather than later.
"A huge number of people watch TV in order to stay up to date with Imran Khan news. The audience on the day of his arrest was astronomically large.
Many of the senior leadership of the PTI declared their departure from the party after being detained and subsequently freed. The restrictions on the media are only the most recent effort to curb Imran Khan's influence ahead of an election that is scheduled for later this year.
Some people don't agree with how this has been depicted.
"It's been twisted for political gains, saying that his name is banned," claims Faisal Vawda, a former PTI leader and close Khan associate. In late 2022, he departed the gathering. The Pemra order doesn't explicitly state that this is about him anywhere in the legal text.
As stated in the country's fundamental legislation, "Anyone participating in terrorism, any type of violence will not be permitted on media.
Technically, because he was the one in charge of it, Khan fits within that situation. All of the witnesses claim that he gave them the orders.
Mr. Khan opposes that and asserts—without offering any evidence—that the intelligence services promoted the violence.
The media professionals with whom we spoke found it to be annoying.
One consistent TV news channel contributor calls it "farcical" He participates in debates regarding May 9 but is forbidden from mentioning Imran Khan.
"They ask you not to discuss the establishment's meddling in politics when you first get there because they fear this would get them into trouble. They will just buzz you out even if you say his name due to the time delay. It just feels like we are residing in a fear-filled world.
The strong military and intelligence organizations of Pakistan, known collectively as the "establishment," are seen by many experts to be responsible for the recent crackdown.
Despite the fact that there is history behind restrictions on Pakistan's media, which is now ranked 150 out of 180 in terms of press freedom, there are worries that recent weeks have had a long-lasting effect on free expression.
"I believe that we have lost the space we enjoyed during the Musharraf period [since 9 May]. That right to free expression was taken away, a journalist informed me. "I've never seen the way the military has been vilified on TV networks and in newspapers like I have in the last year.
"Now, I think it will take us years, if not a decade, to recapture that space."
Another person adds, "This is an unprecedented level. The worst part is actually self-censorship. It causes my colleagues and I to question our own judgment. They come to me because of fear that they may make a mistake, such as with a heading or the invitation of a certain visitor who may bring up Imran Khan or be sympathetic to the party's plight.
"You may pick up anyone, at any time. We are under a lot of strain.
