Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s leader Shahbaz Gill has criticised the news channels for a blackout of last night’s rally in Peshawar.
Here is one interesting way to show public pulse:
This is the live viewership of TV channels on Nayatel as of 11:35pm in 15 cities all over Pakistan.
Notice how the media blackout of #Peshawar Jalsa is impacting the viewership of all the channels compared to ARY. pic.twitter.com/6CVPHpfOZ4
— Dr. Shahbaz GiLL (@SHABAZGIL) April 13, 2022
In a Tweet, Gill shared Nayatel’s live viewership data as of 11:35 pm across 15 cities on April 13. According to the statistics, ARY News alone garnered 56.1% views compared to 14 other channels, including Geo News, Samaa News, and Dawn News.
Gill noted that the media blackout of the rally affected these channels’ viewership.
Media blackout of PTI Jalsa. What a shame.
— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) April 13, 2022
Just four days after being legally forced to step down as Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan began laying the groundwork for a political comeback, drawing thousands of supporters to a late-night rally Wednesday in the northwest city of Peshawar.
Media blackout of PTI Jalsa. What a shame.
— Ihtisham Ul Haq (@iihtishamm) April 13, 2022
The Peshawar event marked the launch of a nationwide campaign of public rallies, which Khan is calling a “freedom struggle” against his foreign and domestic adversaries. While asking his supporters to remain peaceful, he vowed to keep the mass street actions going until the country’s new leaders call for early elections.
Read more: Anger outpours as Atta Tarar warns of violent reaction if called ‘lota’
Packed in a large field with a huge stage erected at one end, Khan’s supporters waited for hours, milling excitedly in the dark, waving flags and chanting.
In his speech, Khan said he would marshal the power of social media to fight the “corrupt” Sharif government that he claimed has been “imposed” from abroad. “This is not the Pakistan of 1970,” he told the crowd. “It is a new Pakistan. This is the age of social media and our people have 600 million cell phones. These have become our voice.”
The rally was dominated by chants and posters of “Imported Hakumat Namanzoor,” roughly translating to “imported government unacceptable” in English.
Read more: WATCH: Imran Khan sings, enjoys qawwali in Peshawar Jalsa
Meanwhile, these hashtags have also taken off in the past week on social media. A screenshot of Twitter trends Wednesday night showed a four-day total of 4 million tweets. At the same time, “Peshawar Jalsa” is still trending in Pakistan.