The development is the latest in a political tug-of-war between the former cricket star turned politician and the government of his successor, Shahbaz Sharif, as Khan campaigns for early elections.
The ban by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority was imposed on Sunday and went into effect on Monday. It covers the airing of both recorded and live speeches by him, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament last April. The ban followed a particularly fiery speech by Khan, who has a large grassroots following, lambasting Sharif’s government and the country’s all-powerful military.
The media regulator said it imposed the ban over what it described as baseless allegations by Khan against authorities and state institutions, a reference usually used for the military. It said Khan was spreading hate “against state institutions and officers, which is prejudicial to the maintenance of law and order.”
Also Sunday, Khan wrote to the country’s Supreme Court, requesting to be allowed to appear before courts through video links, purportedly because of threats to his life. In the appeal, Khan said there were 74 cases pending against him in various courts and that having to show up in person would further endanger him.
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