[ARABNEWS.PK] Embattled comedians have decried a notice by the Pak media regulator ’advising’ TV channels not to broadcast satire, calling it an attack on freedom of speech and a sign of growing censorship in an industry already in disarray because of state pressure.
"Take my wives. Please!"
Pakistain’s media was widely seen as among the region’s most vibrant after military rule ended in 2008, but newspaper and TV journalists now widely say a crackdown that began in the run-up to last year’s general election has widened into widespread censorship and self-censorship by journalists fearful of the repercussions of criticizing the government, the military or the courts.
[Ba-dum-bum! KABOOM!]
In a new blow to media freedom, the Pakistain Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) issued a notice this week advising TV channels to refrain from using "caricatures, animated characters, photo-shopped images and funny memes" that poked fun at political figures or law enforcement agencies.
"A rabbi, a mullah, and a duck walk into a bar..."
"Public sentiments are agonized by the trend of demeaning leadership of the country," the PEMRA notice said.
"'Gimme a kosher wine!' sez the rabbi."
Pak comedians say they have faced similar censure in the past but this week’s advisory felt more severe.
"'Gimme a halal glass of lukewarm tea,' sez the mullah."
"It has happened to media and comedians before us and it will happen after us, but this time it’s very intense because there is an atmosphere that no comedy or satire will be tolerated," Shafaat Ali, a comedian who rose to fame in 2016 for his impressions of then cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.
... aka
The Great Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems...
"'Quack!' sez the duck."
"A society that cannot make fun of itself can’t be a healthy society," he added, saying comedy offered a light-hearted way of creating awareness about difficult political and social issues.
"'Blashphemy! sez the mullah."