ISLAMABAD: Intelligence Bureau (IB) has registered a case against ARY News and senior anchor Arshad Sharif despite the fact that Islamabad High Court is hearing the case pertaining to airing a report regarding monitoring of PML-N legislators over links with banned groups, ARY News reported on Saturday.
The development is surprising as Pakistan Electronic Media and Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Council of Complaints held a hearing in the case on October 5 but Islamabad High Court restrained the body from acting against ARY News or anchor Arshad Sharif on the very next day and issued a stay order.
IHC will hold the next hearing in the case on October 31.
It is pertinent to note here that ARY News’ anchor Arshad Sharif showed an alleged IB letter on his show’s September 25 and September 27 episodes.
The anchor had alleged that former PM Nawaz Sharif had directed the IB on July 10 to keep watch on the listed legislators, mostly belonging to the PML-N.The list is said to have names of over 37 lawmakers suspected of having links with banned terrorist and sectarian outfits.
ALSO READ: ARY News anchor Arshad Sharif ‘threatened’ by senior IB officer
During the first hearing of the case on October 5, Arshad Sharif claimed that a senior officer of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) also threatened him in presence of regulatory body’s Council of Complaints (CoC) and lawyers.
PEMRA had issued a notification after the hearing that the hearing is being adjourned till October 13.
