Pemra Council of Complaints has imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on ARY Digital for airing the insensitive remarks made by actress and model Iman Ali on the transgender community. The channel has also been directed to issue an unconditional apology to the transgender community.
Earlier in June this year, the model had equated being unattractive with a transgender person in an interview on TV with the famous host Vasay Chaudhry.
“I can’t even take pictures of myself. Whatever angle I try, I think aye haye, khusra,” Iman had said.
After Iman’s controversial remarks, a self-explanatory complaint under Section 26 of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Ordinance, 2002, was received from Nisha Rao, the first transgender lawyer of Pakistan, against ARY Digital. Barrister Khadija Siddiqi, a stabbing survivor, and human rights activist, represented her client Nisha Rao.
When The Blind Side contacted Barrister Khadija Siddiqi on the subject, she explained that the matter was placed before the Pemra’s Council of Complaints. Lead by Chairman Barrister Ahmed Pansota, the Council in its 108th meeting passed the judgment on Thursday.
The council found the comments passed by Iman Ali in clear violation of article 9 (right of life and liberty) and 14 (right of dignity and privacy) of the Constitution of Pakistan.
“The Council is of the unanimous view that the remarks/comments passed by Ms. Iman Ali were insensitive, demeaning, derogatory, hateful for the transgender community, and the Licensee in airing the same is found to be in violation of, amongst other laws discussed above, the Clauses 3(d), 4(7)(c), 16, 20 and 23 of the code,” the council noted.
According to Barrister Siddiqi, a fine of Rs.100,000/- was imposed on Ary Digital for airing the derogatory comments, along with a direction to air an unconditional apology to the complainant Nisha Rao and the transgender community as a whole.
Pemra further directed the channel to refrain from giving airtime to any guest speaker with a history of making insensitive remarks towards the Transgender Community and ordered all channels to be careful while airing content regarding Transgenders.
Take a look at what Neelam Aslam has to say about the issue:
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