ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended a notification that made it mandatory for defense analysts to seek permission from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) before appearing on TV programs.

IHC’s Justice Babar Sattar issued a written order on the petition filed by Colonel (retired) Inamur Rehman against the notification issued by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra).

The order states that the notification, which required defense analysts to get approval from ISPR before appearing on TV show, will remain suspended until the final decision of the case.

According to the notification, only retired officers of the armed forces were allowed to participate in TV programs, and PEMRA had made their participation conditional on prior approval from the military’s media wing.

On December 17, the lawyer for PEMRA did not attend the hearing due to illness.

The court order states that, based on the arguments presented so far in the hearing, the PEMRA notification is suspended until a decision is made on the case.

The next hearing of the case will take place on February 11.