September 6, 2022 – The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) announced on Monday that it was shutting down BOL News and BOL Entertainment for the network’s failure to get security clearance from the Ministry of Interior.
The decision was taken during a meeting held on Monday, presided over by PEMRA Chairperson Muhammad Saleem Baig. According to an official statement, PEMRA revoked the channel’s licence in 2017 following which the matter went to the Sindh High Court, eventually being concluded in 2021. It had been clearly stated in the court by PEMRA that if the channel’s owner was not issued clearance from the interior ministry, the transmission of both BOL News and BOL Entertainment would be shut down, the notification added.
— Report PEMRA (@reportpemra) September 5, 2022
“Thus, reviewing all records, court order, and notices from the interior ministry in today’s meeting, the authority decided to revoke licences issued to Labbaik (Pvt) Ltd (BOL News and BOL Entertainment) with immediate effect.”
BOL Entertainment’s licence had expired in December 2021 but the channel did not approach the media regulator for its renewel, the statement added.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) condemned the closure and termed it “fascism and censorship”.
“In the already extremely difficult economic situation for Pakistan, banning BOL News will affect thousands of people and their respective families,” reads a tweet on PTI’s official Twitter account. “The fascism and censorship we are witnessing today in Pakistan is unprecedented!”
In the already extremely difficult economic situation for Pakistan, banning BOL News will affect thousands of people and their respective families. The fascism and censorship we are witnessing today in Pakistan is unprecedented! #RestoreBOL #اب_صرف_عمران_خان https://t.co/ZpKYGWBOFA
— PTI (@PTIofficial) September 5, 2022
PTI Chief Imran Khan remarked that the BOL News has been suspended “only because it gave them coverage”.
Imported govt has taken media & journalists' censorship & persecution to fascistic levels. Now Bol has been suspended simply because it gave us coverage. Message to all media houses is to blackout the largest & most popular national pol party from mainstream media. Unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/GUG73YULmA
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 5, 2022
Last month, the interior ministry issued a notice cancelling the no-objection certificate (NOC) of ARY News over what the authority said were “adverse reports from agencies”. The notification was subsequently suspended by the Sindh High Court.
