PEMRA bans media coverage of motorway gang rape case

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has imposed a ban on the media coverage of the Lahore motorway gang rape case.

According to a notification issued today (Friday), the airing of content related to the investigation of the case will diminish the ‘evidentiary worth of the material collected by the prosecution’.

The media regulatory body informed that the ban was imposed by the regulatory body after directives from an anti-terrorism court hearing the case.

PEMRA further stated that since the offence is related to sex hence media coverage concerning victim and her family will also be a cause of discomfort and disgrace for her.

The authority told news channels to refrain from airing any content in this regard on electronic, print and social media in future, and in case of non-compliance, strict legal action will be taken.

Last month, two robbers had gang-raped a woman in front of her children when her car broke down on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway. One of the suspects, Shafqat, had been arrested while the prime suspect Abid Malhi is yet to be apprehended.

The police had narrowly missed Abid Malhi for at least three times, with officials initially blaming that he was able to run away due to leak of his name by media outlets.