Summary PTI says cutting off live transmission of PTV during Khan’s NA speech is undemocratic behaviour.
ISLAMABAD (Online) - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Thursday termed cutting off live transmission of PTV during Imran Khan;s speech in the National Assembly as undemocratic behaviour.
MNA and Central Information Secretary of PTI Dr Shireen Mazari in an epistle to the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rasheed, said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan addressed the Parliament. It was a speech of immense national importance as was also acknowledged by the government benches.
Therefore it was shocking and disturbing to find that PTV, the only television channel allowed on the floor of the House, cut off live transmission of Khan s speech after about 7 minutes - just when he began speaking on the critical national issue of terrorism.
This is not acceptable democratic behaviour and sends signals of a continuity of dictatorial practices of the past when PTV was used simply as a propaganda tool by the dictator and his cohorts. Why PMLN would follow in this tradition is inexplicable as they should have enough confidence in their mandate to govern democratically.
PTI is the second largest national party on the basis of votes cast in the elections and as such its leader s address should have been carried live on PTV so other channels could have taken the feed. We find this a shameful act of censorship by the official media which deprived the Pakistani nation from seeing and hearing PTI leader Imran Khan s speech live.
We would like an answer to our query of why this happened and whether it is part of the government s policy to deny proper coverage to national leaders?
