ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, has denounced the suspension of the live telecast of the upper house proceedings, terming it unacceptable and seeking an immediate clarification from the authorities concerned.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Allama Abbas — who secured the position with the backing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — pointed out that the live stream is occasionally cut off during certain speeches without any prior notice or stated reason.
He said that the Senate is a constitutional institution, adding, "We need clarification on who ordered the suspension of the broadcast".
Reacting to the opposition leader's remarks, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar said that this is the prerogative of the Senate of Pakistan and the government has no role in it.
"Only the chairman of the Senate can issue such rulings," he said and added that the limits of freedom of speech are also defined by the Constitution.
It is pertinent to mention here that last month National Assembly YouTube channel appeared to be inaccessible, with live streams of proceedings not visible on the platform.
In response, the National Assembly secretariat rejected reports that its official YouTube channel was shut down, saying the disruption was caused by a temporary technical fault rather than any deliberate move to halt coverage of parliamentary proceedings.
Separately, Allama Abbas also commented on the health of PTI founder Imran Khan, describing it as an important issue. He proposed forming a delegation of senators to visit the hospital to assess the situation personally.
He said that the PTI founder does not want to come out of jail through any deal.
Meanwhile, the law minister told the Senate that the PTI founder was in "satisfactory" health and there is no cause for alarm. He said his statement regarding Imran's health condition was issued after consulting the Executive Director of Pims.
He said that the former prime minister was taken to Pims according to schedule and with his consent.
Tarar said that a medical board of four specialist doctors, including Dr Nadeem from Al-Shifa Eye Hospital and Prof Arif from Pims, conducted a thorough examination. Following consultations among the doctors, the PTI founder received a second dose of prescribed treatment.
Regarding calls for the PTI founder’s release, the minister stated that he is a convicted prisoner, and the authority to release him rests solely with the courts.
