Pemra suspends Geo News for 15 days over Muharram transmission

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Saturday suspended Geo News transmission for 15 days with immediate effect over a special 10th Muharram broadcast that was liable to hurt viewers’ religious sentiments.

In an order issued on June 28 to the chief executive officer of Independent Media Corporation (IMC), Pemra said the licence issued to IMC for Geo News had been suspended for 15 days under Section 30 of the Pemra Ordinance, 2002. The regulator said its monitoring wing had found the special transmission to be a serious regulatory concern because of religious, cultural and social sensitivities.

Pemra said the aired material was inconsistent with a licensee’s obligations under Sections 20(b), (c), (d) and (f) of the ordinance. Section 20(b) requires broadcasters to preserve national, cultural, social and religious values as well as principles of public policy enshrined in the Constitution, while Section 20(c) requires that programmes and advertisements must not contain or encourage religious discrimination or sectarianism, among other prohibited themes.

The broadcast was also at variance with its June 15 directive on the observance of the sanctity of Muharramul Haram. It directed that Geo News remain off air on satellite and across all distribution networks and platforms during the suspension period, and told distribution service licensees and operators to ensure immediate compliance.

Inquiry and further proceedings

Pemra also referred the matter to its Council of Complaints for examination, hearing and recommendations, including the possibility of further regulatory action if warranted under the law. In addition, it directed Geo News to carry out an internal inquiry into what it described as editorial, monitoring and compliance lapses that led to the broadcast, and to present its recommendations before the council along with details of corrective and preventive steps.

Geo News separately issued a clarification and apology, saying the footage aired during its 10th Muharram programme Safar-e-Ishq did not reflect the channel’s editorial position or its policy of respecting widely accepted beliefs and religious sensitivities of the Muslim Ummah.

The broadcaster said the programme had shown certain rituals practiced by a limited number of people in Iraq and some other Middle Eastern countries, and said the footage was intended only to depict local customs rather than represent or promote a broader religious viewpoint. The material had not been produced by the channel and was not aired with deliberate intent.

In its statement, the content was removed as soon as the matter came to notice and action was taken against those involved in its inclusion. The channel also said clarifications and an apology had been broadcast before the public reaction emerged.

"This content depicted certain rituals adopted by a limited number of people in Iraq and some other Middle Eastern countries. The content merely reflected these local rituals, and its purpose was not to represent, endorse, or promote any broader religious point of view. This content was neither produced by Geo News nor was its broadcast carried out with any intention or purpose. We wish to clarify that Geo News remains firmly committed to its policy of respecting the widely accepted beliefs and sensitivities of the Muslim Ummah. The inclusion of such content does not reflect our editorial position or the ideology of the organisation. The relevant content was removed immediately, and the organisation promptly took action against the individuals involved. Clarifications and an apology had been broadcast before the public response to the statement. We express regret for any distress caused and reaffirm our commitment to upholding the highest standards of religious respect," Geo News said.