ARY News Head Arrested in Pakistan Over PTI Leader’s 'Seditious' Remarks

ARY News vice president Ammad Yousaf.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A day after the transmission of Pakistani television channel ARY News was taken off the air by the country's regulatory authorities, the channel’s senior vice president, Ammad Yousaf, was arrested from Karachi in the early hours of Wednesday, 10 August, the channel said.

This comes after Shahbaz Gill, a close aide of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday, 9 August.

Meanwhile, the Karachi Police has registered a first information report (FIR) against ARY Digital Network CEO Salman Iqbal and others in connection with controversial remarks made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill during a news programme.

Yousuf, the head of ARY News, was arrested from his residence, the news channel reported.

What Are the Allegations?

According to a copy of the FIR posted on ARY News' website, producer Adeel Raja, Yousaf, and anchorpersons Arshad Sharif and Khawar Ghuman have also been named in the case registered on 8 August.

The FIR was filed under Sections 121 (waging war against Pakistan), 506 (criminal intimidation), 505 (statements conducive to public mischief), 153 (wantonly provoking with the intent to cause riot), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 131 (abetting mutiny or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty), 124-A (sedition), 120 (concealing the design to commit an offence punishable with imprisonment), 34 (common intention), and 109 (abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code, Dawn reported.

Gill had reportedly made “hateful remarks” against the Pakistan Army, a clip of which has since gone viral. Sharif and Ghuman had participated in the programme as analysts, the FIR stated.

“They are sowing hatred and rebellion in the armed forces,” the complainant further alleged, adding that they were also “threatening government officers against following the government’s directives."

“This is a pre-meditated, organised conspiracy that is being used to create hatred between the armed forces and government departments in Sindh and other provinces,” the complainant said.

(With inputs from Dawn and ARY News.)