ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) banned the coverage of the F-9 Park gang rape incident, claiming that the move was taken due to TV channels “revealing the identity of the rape victim”.
Pemra bans coverage of #F9Park #Islamabad gang rape. pic.twitter.com/43oJVsbc23
— Ismat Raza Shahjahan ☭ (@IsmatShahjahan) February 6, 2023
The PEMRA also warned that in case of non-compliance, the licence of the television channel may be suspended without any show cause notice in the public interest along with other enabling provisions of law.
On February 2nd, a woman was raped in F-9 Park in Islamabad while she was with her male colleague. According to the FIR, two men raped the woman at a gunpoint and told her “not to come to the park at this time”.
This is not the first time PEMRA has banned the coverage of cases related to violence against women. The media regulatory authority also banned the coverage of the Lahore motorway gangrape incident, citing at the time that the media coverage “will diminish the evidentiary worth of the material collected by the prosecution”.
Meanwhile, there is an uproar regarding the PEMRA’s orders of banning the media coverage with some deeming the move “stupid”.
Earlier Same Order was issued with respect to Motorway Rape Case. I challenged that on Lahore High Court and same was suspended. PEMRA operates so whimsically.Identity and privacy of victim should remain intact rest should be covered. https://t.co/KOY8bjCCpr
— Abuzar Salman Niazi (@SalmanKNiazi1) February 7, 2023
A girl gets raped in Islamabad’s F9 park by armed men.
Police is busy in arresting/harassing political opponents.
And the State (PEMRA) responses with a ban on the coverage of the rape case on TV.
If you report it on TV, your license will get cancelled.
Full banana republic this! pic.twitter.com/EZ5ReyBimG— Annus Raza (@annusraza) February 7, 2023
The incident has caused widespread outrage as several people protested in F-9 Park on Monday to “demand safe spaces for women”.
Today at F9 park to demand safe spaces so we can JUST breathe freely. I wish living in this country wasn’t like a constant battle of survival for us women. 💔 pic.twitter.com/vAdhcr5boC
— Ayesha Khalid (@AyeshDibs) February 6, 2023
Protesters also demanded that the State should guarantee women’s safety in the country, and they are protesting to send a message that “the onus is on the rapist. Not our clothes, nor the place or the time, it is the Rapist. It is the system which produces rapists”.
Today protesters tied their dupattas on the gate of #F9Park #Islamabad
with various messages against the heinous rape. We hope that they serve as a reminder that public spaces are not safe for us and it is on the state to guarantee that safety instead of putting curfews on women pic.twitter.com/ScWQpTx0ma— Zoya Anwer (@ZoyaAnwerNaqvi) February 6, 2023
He told her never stay in the park at night after raping her. We stood in front of the same park and sent the message that the onus is on the rapist. Not our clothes, nor the place or the time, it is the Rapist. It is the system which produces rapists. #F9Park pic.twitter.com/1xj4SepYXq
— Huda Bhurgri ♀️ (@HBhurgri) February 6, 2023
