ISLAMABAD: Senate’s Standing Committee on Information Broadcasting and National Heritage on Thursday directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to take measures against channels airing inappropriate content in Ramazan.
Briefing Senator Kamil Ali Agha, who heads the standing committee, on the television content being aired during Ramazan, PEMRA Chairman Absar Alam said that a notification regarding violation of TV content was issued on May 4.
In this regard, he said, show cause notices were issued to Aaj TV, Urdu One, TV One and Geo TV for airing inappropriate content. He added that every TV channel must have an effective editorial committee.
Members of the standing committee opined that PEMRA had a weak legal department. To this the PEMRA chief said that the inaam shows were part of a “commercial war” He also called for “complete ban” on Hamza Ali Abbasi.
“Hamza Ali Abbasi should also be banned from modelling as he had toyed with religion,” said Senator Nihal Hashmi. In his reply, the PEMRA chief said the regulatory body could only impose ban on television channels airing inappropriate content.
On June 14, he said, Geo TV aired inappropriate content. “Inaam Ghar is not part of the Ramazan transmission. The suicide acts were performed by the same people who had once spoken against them.”
Senator Nihal Hashmi was of the view that ‘inaam shows’ should be banned from next Ramazan. He said that such programmes challenged writ of the state. “People will take law into their own hands when state will be weak.”
