KARACHI: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Tuesday banned tv channels from airing news regarding the F-9 Park rape case in order to protect the victim’s identity.
At the Margalla police station in Islamabad, a first information report (FIR) was filed on February 2 in accordance with Section 376. (punishment for rape). The complainant claims that she and a male coworker were on their way to the park when they were stopped at gunpoint and led into a forest by two males.
She said the men beat her up, raped her and told her to “not come to the park at this time”.
In a notification issued on Feb 5, Pemra noted that few satellite television channels were running reports with regard to the case wherein the identity of the survivor was revealed.
“This is a violation of clause 8 of Pemra Electronic Media (Programmes and Advertisments) Code of Conduct 2015.
“While exercising powers conferred under Section 27 (a) of the PEMRA Ordinance, 2002, as amended by Pemra (Amendment) Act 2007, broadcast/rebroadcast of news/reports with regard to F-9 Park Islamabad incident is PROHIBITED, with immediate effect,” the notification said.
The victim said in the FIR that she and her male coworker, Amjad, had arrived at the F-9 Park at around 8 p.m. on Thursday when “two males stopped [them] at gunpoint and carried them towards a jungle.”
The FIR alleged that the victim then offered the men any property they want, but they “pummeling her” in order to prevent her from making a sound and separated her from her colleague.
She added when one of the men asked what her relationship with the colleague was, she answered in a “loud voice”, upon which he slapped her and threatened that he would “bring six to seven more people and you have no inkling of what they would do with you”.
