Pakistan bans TV host for 3 months over false report

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s supreme court has banned a TV host from appearing on-air for three months over his false report that the rape and murder of a young girl was linked to an international network for child pornography.

Shahid Masood was also ordered on Tuesday to publish a written apology for his January report on the rape and murder of seven-year-old Zainab Ansari, a case that stirred national outrage.

Masood had reported that her killer had 37 foreign bank accounts, a claim that was dismissed by investigators.

Pakistani authorities appear to have taken the rare step of ordering an anchorman off the air because of sensitivities surrounding the killing.