By AIP Wire Staff, New York:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Pakistani authorities to immediately lift a 15-day suspension imposed on the broadcast license of Geo News, one of the country’s largest Urdu-language television news channels.
According to CPJ, Pakistan’s Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) suspended the Karachi-based broadcaster after it aired content during a June 26 program marking Muharram that the regulator said included “religious visualization” capable of offending religious sentiments and disturbing public order.
Geo News issued a public apology on June 28, stating that the material had been broadcast in error and did not reflect the network’s editorial policy. On July 1, the broadcaster announced that it had dismissed the employees responsible for producing and approving the content.
In its statement, CPJ described the suspension as a significant escalation in official interference with Pakistan’s media. Waliullah Rahmani, CPJ’s Afghanistan-Pakistan Representative, urged authorities to withdraw the suspension order and allow independent news organizations to operate without what he described as heavy-handed government interference.
Geo News said the broadcast depicted certain religious rituals practiced by a limited number of people in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries and was not intended to promote any broader religious viewpoint.
Pakistan enforces strict blasphemy laws, and media coverage during the Islamic month of Muharram is subject to heightened regulatory scrutiny due to the sensitivity surrounding religious content. At the time of CPJ’s statement, PEMRA had not publicly responded to the organization’s request for comment.
