A day after the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) revoked the citizenship of former minister and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Hafiz Hamdullah, the former has approached the Ministry of Interior, seeking restoration of his identity as a Pakistani. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Saturday directed all TV channels not to invite Hafiz Hamdullah on their programmes, saying he was “not a Pakistani citizen”. In a communiqué sent to all satellite TV channels, the media watchdog had said that NADRA had conveyed that “Senator Hafiz Hamdullah Saboor is ‘confirmed alien’ as he is not a citizen of Pakistan”. Hafiz Hamdullah, who remained a senator from Balochistan between March 2012 and March 2018, frequently makes appearances in evening political talk shows on various news channels. The directive banning his TV appearances comes days before the JUI-F is scheduled to lead an anti-government ‘Azaadi’ protest march of opposition parties.

Source: Pakistan Today October 27, 2019 13:41 UTC