BOL Network ( ur, ) is a media conglomerate based in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

owned by Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh who also served as the CEO and chairman of the media network. According to

Declan Walsh Declan Walsh (born 1989) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Malin GAA, Malin (the northernmost GAA club in Ireland) and the Donegal county football team, Donegal county team. He was part of the Donegal team that won the 2012 All-Irel ...

Bol Network was under the auspices of the fake

diploma mill A diploma mill (also known as a degree mill) is a company or organization that claims to be a higher education institution but provides illegitimate academic degrees and diplomas for a fee. The degrees can be fabricated (made-up), falsified (fa ...

Axact Axact ( ur, ) is a Pakistan software company that runs numerous websites selling fraudulent academic degrees. The company also owns the media company BOL Network. History Axact was founded by Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh, who serves as its chairman ...

. The media group was supposed to incorporate

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

, digital

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

, cinema and theater as well as digital media, but when the parent company of Bol,

, was unmasked as a diploma mill selling fake degrees

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) ( ur, ) is an independent and constitutionally established federal institution responsible for regulating and issuing channel licenses for establishment of the mass media culture, print a ...

revoked the licence that it had awarded BOL, and the network was not even able to start transmission. Pakistani journalist Kamran Khan was appointed as the editor in chief, but he quit after the Axact scandal surfaced and stated that his conscience did not let him be affiliated with such a network. Bol News launched regular live transmissions on 18 October 2016. The

revoked its license on September 5, 2022 due to the channel failing to acquire security clearance. Following a Sindh High Court order, the channel resumed transmissions two days later, with its managers condemning PEMRA for the channel's abrupt suspension.

History

The BOL Network was started by Pakistani businessman Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh in June 2013, and according to him, it was meant to create an independent media house to portray a soft image of Pakistan and several notable journalists joined the network at that time. Bol TV claims to be on the Centrist/Left of Centre of the political spectrum but with a strong pro-nationalist outlook. It claims to have offered insurance of up to Rs. 10 million to cable operators. In 2014, BOL Network advertised on more than 20,000 public transport vehicles in Pakistan. The company also announced a television set brand by the name of BG. The Bol Entertainment is also a project of the Bol.

Media personnel

During the early phases of Bol, many prominent media personnel joined the network. These included Nabeel Zafar, Zeba Shehnaz and Haider Imam Rizvi who joined the entertainment channel. Kamran Khan, Mubasher Lucman, Faysal Aziz Khan,

Jasmeen Manzoor Jasmeen Manzoor is a Pakistani journalist and news anchor working at Bol Network, Pakistan. Early life and education She earned her Masters in International Relations and started her career as an anchor on Pakistan Television in 1999. She work ...

and Iftikhar Ahmed were reportedly a part of the Bol News channel.

Channels

Bol Network Operates the following Channels: * Bol News - Ultra HD – 24-Hour Urdu News Channel (Launched on 18 October 2016) * Bol Entertainment - Ultra HD – 24-Hour Entertainment Channel (Launched on 1 December 2018). *

PAK - Ultra HD Pak or PAK may refer to: Places * Pakistan (country code PAK) * Pak, Afghanistan * Pak Island, in the Admiralty Islands group of Papua New Guinea * Pak Tea House, a café in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan Arts and entertainment * PAK (band), an Am ...

– 24-Hour News & Entertainment (Launched in 2017 & Shut Down in 2019).

Upcoming channels

*Bol Sports - Ultra HD - 24-Hour Sports Channel (Coming Soon) *Bol Music - Ultra HD - 24-Hour Music Channel (Coming Soon) *Bol Movies- Ultra HD - 24-Hour Hollywood Movies English Language Channel (Coming Soon) *Bol Films - Ultra HD - 24-Hour International Films Dubbing in Urdu and Pakistani Films Channel (Coming Soon) *Bol Cricket - Ultra HD - 24-Hour Cricket Channel (Coming Soon) *Bol World - Ultra HD - 24-Hour English News Channel (Coming Soon) *Bol English - Ultra HD - 24-Hour international Drama and Series English Language Channel (Coming Soon) *Bol News International - Ultra HD - 24-Hour International Beam Broadcast in UK,USA,ME (Coming Soon) *Bol Entertainment International - Ultra HD - 24-Hour International Beam Broadcast in UK,USA,ME (Coming Soon) *Pak News - Ultra HD - 24-Hour Urdu Language News Channel (Coming Soon) *Pak Entertainment - Ultra HD - 24-Hour Urdu Language Entertainment Channel (Coming Soon)

Bol Broadcasters

*Bol Radio 24 Hour Radio Station in Karachi. - (Coming Soon)

Bol Publication

*Bol Narrative Magazine (English Magazine) - (Launch 2016) *Roznama Bol (Urdu News Paper) - (Coming Soon) *Daily Bol (English News Paper) - (Coming Soon) *Bol Magazine (Urdu Magazine) - (Coming Soon)

Tv & Drama

*Bol Network own is TV & Drama Production House in Karachi. (Coming Soon)

Movies & Films

*Bol own is Film Distribution Company in Karachi & Films Production Company in Karachi. (Coming Soon)

Stage Theater

*Bol Plane Launch own Theater Company in Karachi. * BOL Digital – *Bol Digital is World's No. 1, that is committed to build-up trust and transparency in online content by actively countering disinformation. Bol offers a range of content beyond current affairs including Science, Technology, Business & Environment, Health and Entertainment & Arts. Bol is having 680+ channels, profiles and pages in 16 languages worldwide.

Locations

The head office is located in

and called Bolistan The network's regional headquarters in the provinces are in Lahore and Islamabad. BOL Network, also operated their own DSNG vans and when the parent company, Axact, was raided by FBR in connection with fake degrees and money laundering, Bol Network used its DSNG vans to create a barricade and prevent journalists from coming near the building. When the Axact scandal came to light reliable sources informed the

Federal Board of Revenue The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) ( ur, ), formerly known as Central Board of Revenue (CBR), is a federal law enforcement agency of Pakistan that investigates tax crimes, suspicious accumulation of wealth, money-laundering make regulation of ...

that most of the equipment used by Bol network had been imported illegally. A notice was served to the CEO under Section 26 of the Customs Act 1969 and he was ordered to submit proof that the equipment being used had been imported using legal means.

Programs

Controversies

Axact Scandal

Initial raids and indictments

On 17 May 2015, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' published an investigative story reporting that Axact ran at least 370

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

and

accreditation mill An accreditation mill is an organization that purports to award educational accreditation to higher education institutions without having government authority or recognition from mainstream academia to operate as an accreditor. Implicit in the term ...

websites. When Axact offices were raided by the

FIA FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used. Fia or FIA may also refer to: People * Fia Backst ...

at the interior minister's orders, many compromising documents were recovered, including fake letterhead of the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

. Subsequently, Axact was sealed on 28 May 2015, and the Information ministry requested

PEMRA Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) ( ur, ) is an independent and constitutionally established federal institution responsible for regulating and issuing channel licenses for establishment of the mass media culture, print a ...

to close down BOL. On 26 May 2015,

Federal Investigation Agency The Federal Investigation Agency ( ur, ; reporting name: FIA) is a border control, criminal investigation, counter-intelligence and security agency under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, tasked with investigative jurisdictio ...

arrested Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh for investigation. The case was filed against him on 27 May 2015, in

Karachi, Pakistan Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

. The same day he was ordered to submit ''"copy of the letter of credit, contract or proof of payment in support of the transactions and the source of financing for the procurement of the imported goods"'' as the FBR had received intelligence that Bol was using illegal equipment. on 5 June 2015, Ayesha Sheikh, the wife of Bol CEO Shoib Sheikh was indicted on charges of money laundering in connected with Axact and Bol.

Resignation of media personnel

Bol was aggressive in recruiting media personnel when the network was in development. However, when it came to light that the network was being run through illegal means and was part of a scam they were quick to leave. While Kamran Khan tweeted that his conscience would not let him continue, Iftikhar Ahmad wrote "cannot work for an organisation whose basic workings conflict with my professional commitment." Asma Shirazi resigned and posted on Twitter, "I have resigned from ''Bol News''. Truth must prevail."

Post Axact Scandal Acquisition

After the suspension of the BOL Network and BOL News there was a mass exodus of journalists and other media personnel from the company. However

ARY Digital Network ARY Digital Network ( ur, ) is a subsidiary of the ARY Group. The ARY group of companies is a Dubai-based holding company founded by a Pakistani businessman, Haji Abdul Razzak Yaqoob (ARY). The network has a video on demand streaming service call ...

CEO

Salman Iqbal Salman Iqbal ( ur, ) is a Pakistani media businessman and media mogul. He became the CEO of ARY Digital Network in 2014 after the death of Abdul Razzak Yaqoob. In addition, Iqbal is the owner of the ARY Group, that was started by his Uncle Abdul ...

offered to take over the beleaguered company in August 2015. He stated that the decision had been taken in view to provide career protection to media industry and its workers. The

founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

of ARY Group said that his media group would launch the transmission of the channel within three weeks. On 30 September 2015, it was announced that the deal between the owners of BOL and

had fallen through.

Denial of access to Axact databases

Both Bol and Axact have been petitioning to be granted access to databases maintained by Axact. However FIA declined to allow them access. On 12 April 2016 the Supreme court of Pakistan rejected the plea entered by Bol and Axact administration which requested that they be granted access to their databases and offices. The three judges of the bench observed that such access will not be provided until the investigation into the diploma mill scams, forgery and other allegations has been completed.

Inter-Services Intelligence connection

On 15 October 2013, the ''

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...

'' reported that the entry of BOL media electronic player was backed by the ISI, which sparked controversy. Later a corrigendum (an error in a printed work discovered after printing and shown with its correction on a separate sheet) was issued by ''Hindustan Times''.

Ishaq Dar legal trouble

Ishaq Dar Muhammad Ishaq Dar ( ur, ; born ) is Pakistani accountant and member of the Senate serving as the 42nd Finance Minister of Pakistan since September 28, 2022. Dar was declared a Proclaimed Offender in 2017 and 2022, respectively. After his ...

sent legal notice to BOL for airing program to defame him.

References

External links

* {{Television in Pakistan Mass media companies of Pakistan Axact Television stations in Karachi Television channels and stations established in 2013 24-hour television news channels in Pakistan Television stations in Pakistan