PEMRA issues Show Cause notice to Geo over alleged blasphemy
PEMRA spokesperson said that the broadcast in question violates PEMRA laws.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) slammed Geo TV with a show-cause notice on Thursday for airing allegedly blasphemous content, seeking immediate explanation, Dunya News reported.
The show-caused notice was issued by PEMRA over the objectionable content broadcasted in Geo Entertainment’s morning show ‘Utho Jago Pakistan’.
According to PEMRA spokesperson, over 5000 complaints were received against the show. They said that the complaints have been sent to the Complaint Council for review.
The spokesperson said that the Complaint Council will return to PEMRA with a decision within a week.
They also said that the broadcast in question violates PEMRA laws.
The episode in question aired a do over of the wedding rituals of prominent actress Veena Malik and her husband Asad Khattak. During one such ritual, a Qawali was being performed live in the background and together with the visuals, it allegedly appeared objectionable and potentially insulting.
Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) Chief Hamid Raza announced to hold sit-in protests against the broadcast until indefinite period. It merits mentioning here that the host of the morning show in question apologized on TV while terming it an unintentional mistake. The apology is rejected by Hamid Raza saying it doesn’t mean anything if broadcast is not suspended.
He also said that if YouTube can be blocked over blasphemous material, why not Geo?
