Islamabad: A Pakistani high court on Monday slapped a ban on live telecast of speeches of London-residing chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain.

A three-memer bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) ordered the ban while hearing in the provincial capital a petition seeking trial of the MQM leader on treason charges.

The court issued notices to the foreign secretary, interior secretary and secretary to the prime minister, to provide information regarding Altaf Hussain’s nationality.

The petition, filed by a group of advocates, sought a lifetime ban on live telecast of Altaf Hussain’s speeches.

The petition accuses the MQM leader of violating Article 5 which mandates loyalty to the state and obedience to the constitution.

A treason case should be registered against the MQM chief under Article 6 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), the petitioners pleaded.

The LHC bench has asked the advocate general of Punjab to submit records of speeches of the MQM chief. It adjourned the hearing of the case to September 7.

Workers and supporters of the Karachi-based party, second largest in southern Sindh province with a sizeable presence also in the parliament, protested last week restrictions by electronic media regulator on broadcast of Hussain’s speeches.

MQM parliamentary leader Dr Farooq Sattar had said the action was unjust and against freedom of expression.

In July, around 50 complaints were lodged at police stations by citizens in different parts of the country against the MQM leader over his alleged derogatory remarks about the army and paramilitary rangers force leading a crackdown in Karachi on crime, corruption and terror financing.

Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations Major-General Asim Bajwa had said in April that statements made by the MQM chief regarding the Pakistan Army would be legally pursued.

Over 80 federal and provincial lawmakers of MQM had tendered their resignations recently because of grievances linked to the ongoing Karachi operation by rangers under powers delegated to them by the provincial government led by Pakistan People’s Party.

However, their resignations have not been accepted so far and the federal government is trying to persuade MQM to withdraw the move to quit the assemblies in order to strengthen the democratic order in the country.