The council of complaints (CoC) at Pakistan Electronic Media RegulatoryAuthority (PEMRA) on Friday issued a Rs300,000 fine on Labaik Pvt Limitedafter finding it guilty of violating Section 20 of the PEMRA Ordinance 2002.
“The CoC heard the case two times but [Labaik Pvt Limited] does not appearto take the case seriously,” said an internal letter seen by *Profit* fromAshfaq Ahmed Jumani, secretary to the CoC Sindh. “CoC is of the view thatBol News Network has stated/aired unjustified and defamatory campaignthrough its program ‘Ab Pata Chala’ against complainants Raihan AliMerchant, Ahsen Idris and their companies.”
In his letter, Jumani said that CoC members observed that the Bol NewNetwork levelled serious charges against the complainants and theircompanies without offering any evidence to back up the allegations beingmade during the programme. He added that the representative from Bol NewsNetwork – Azhar Shamim – failed to defend or offer a satisfactory reply tothe CoC in contents of complaints.
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The CoC, the letter states, concluded that Bol News Network violated theestablished principles of reporting and journalism.
