The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Thursday heard a long-standing case concerning the broadcast of Indian content on Pakistani television channels and issued notices to all parties involved.
The hearing of the case was conducted by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin.
The dispute dates back to 2016, when the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) resolved in a meeting that Indian content would no longer be aired in the country.
At the time broadcasting licences were first issued, channels had been permitted to air up to ten percent Indian programming.
That policy was halted when Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, then Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, suspended PEMRA’s notification in 2017, creating a legal back-and-forth that has continued over the years.
PEMRA currently enforces a complete ban on the airing of Indian content on Pakistani channels, including advertisements featuring Indian actors or characters.
The regulator maintains that the prohibition is legally binding and regularly issues show-cause notices to violators, although the ban has faced periodic legal challenges.
In April 2023, acting on the directions of the PEMRA chairman, the authority’s regional offices intensified enforcement operations against cable operators accused of airing illegal Indian channels and content, in violation of Supreme Court directives.
A press release issued at the time noted that PEMRA’s Karachi regional office carried out surprise inspections and raids on multiple cable networks across the city.
The Hyderabad regional office also raided twenty-three cable operators, seizing eight networks that were broadcasting prohibited Indian channels and programming.
Similarly, PEMRA’s Multan regional office conducted inspections in various neighbourhoods of Bahawalnagar and took action against operators found airing illegal Indian content.
During these operations, enforcement teams confiscated equipment and issued show-cause notices to violators.
PEMRA reiterated its warning to all cable operators to immediately cease the distribution of banned Indian channels and content, stating that only PEMRA-licensed channels would be permitted on cable networks.
The authority added that any operator found defying these orders would face legal action under PEMRA laws.
