Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Saath: Broadcasters reminded prohibition regarding Valentine's Day
The reason for this recent reminder by PEMRA is a 2017 verdict by the Islamabad High Court that prohibited the celebration of Valentine's Day.
(Web Desk) – The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) earlier this week reminded all TV and radio channels to abstain from promoting Valentine’s Day that is celebrated on February 14 across the world.
This directive has dampened programming and advertising campaigns run on television and entertainment channels on February 14 every year, aiming to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
The reason for this recent reminder by PEMRA is a 2017 verdict by the Islamabad High Court that prohibited the celebration of Valentine s Day in public spaces and government offices across the country. The orders were given by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on a petition submitted by a citizen, Abdul Waheed.
Following this, PEMRA was instructed to ensure that coverage or promotion of Valentine’s Day on television channels be stopped. The directive is in place this year as well which came in the form a reminder to broadcasters by PEMRA with February 14 less than a week away.
Besides the debate that questions the cultural significance of Valentine’s Day in Pakistan, there has been a lot of discourse pertaining to the event being largely used as a marketing gimmick by companies and advertisers to push their products, not just in Pakistan but also globally.
With the recent reminder by PEMRA, once again there has been a lot of debate in public circles and social media over the celebration of V-Day in Pakistan. And there has also been a lot of blame levelled on media for ‘promoting’ an occasion that is said to have no cultural roots in Pakistan.
In his show, Kamran Khan opened up the subject for discussion and invited not just the views of the general public over the recent reminder by PEMRA but also those of senior journalist Amber Rahim Shamsi and Aneeq Ahmed, anchor of Dunya’s show Peyam-e-Subh, to discuss the issue that has sparked a fiery debate once again.
