ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi, Sunday, attempted to justify the live coverage on PTV given to the political rally of convicted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif a day earlier, saying the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders were also given live coverage on the state-run television recently.

“PTV had only three days ago, on the 16th anniversary of the Karsaz tragedy, covered live the speeches of all the leaders, including Bilawal Bhutto,” he said in statement in Urdu posted on the social media platform X.

The live coverage given to Sharif by PTV besides private television channels raised eyebrows on Saturday. Apart from being handed lifetime disqualification by Supreme Court in July 2017 in Panamagate case, Sharif was a handed a collective jail sentence of 14 years in two cases by an accountability court in July 2018. In November 2019, Lahore High Court (LHC) allowed Sharif to fly to London for four weeks for medical treatment. But Sharif returned to Pakistan after almost four years on Saturday, ending his self-imposed exile. Islamabad High Court (IHC) has granted Sharif protected bail from arrest till today (October 24).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023