Pakan: TV journal from ARY News arrested hours after channel taken off air

Hours after popular Pakan television station ARY News was taken off air for being critical of the government and for allegedly airing “seditious” content, the outlet’s Senior Executive Vice President Ammad Yousaf was arrested from Karachi in the early hours of Wednesday, the channel said.
According to ARY News, Yousaf was arrested without a warrant from his residence located in Karachi’s DHA area.
“Police officers, along with plain-clothed personnel, forcibly entered the house of Ammad Yousaf. The raiding team diverted the CCTV cameras of Yousaf’s house, and jumped into the house from the top of the main entrance,” the channel said.
ARY News received a notice from the Pakan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) which said that the channel was taken off air “for airing objectionable, hateful, seditious, based on absolute disinformation with clear and present threat to national sec instigating rebellion within the armed forces with malafide intent to cause rift between govt and forces”.

PEMRA bans ARY News transmission. Blames ARY “for airing objectionable, hateful, seditious, based on absolute disinformation with clear and present threat to national sec instigating rebellion within the armed forces with malafide intent to cause rift between govt and forces” pic.twitter.com/ySRFvp8KKg
— Ammad Yousaf (@AmmadYousaf) August 8, 2022
PEMRA has also directed the channel’s CEO to appear in person for a hearing on August 10.