By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Geo News, one of Pakistan’s most-watched television networks, resumed broadcasting shortly after midnight Sunday, ending a 15-day suspension that the country’s media regulator said was necessary after the channel aired religiously sensitive imagery during a special Muharram program last month.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority upheld its own suspension order Saturday night in a written ruling that combined an unusually severe rebuke with a warning: any further lapse of this kind, the authority said, would cost Geo News its broadcasting license entirely.
The dispute traces back to June 26, when Geo News aired a special transmission for Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram and one of the most solemn dates on the Islamic calendar, as part of a program called “Safar-e-Ishq.” The broadcast included visual depictions that Pemra’s monitoring wing flagged as inconsistent with the religious, cultural and social values the network is obligated to uphold under its license. Regulators said the material was capable of hurting viewers’ religious sentiments and undermining religious harmony.
Pemra suspended the network’s license two days later, on June 27, invoking its authority under Section 30 of the Pemra Ordinance of 2002. The order took effect immediately, pulling Geo News off satellite feeds and every cable and distribution platform across the country, and regulators instructed distribution operators nationwide to comply without delay.
The suspension set off a review process that stretched across nearly two weeks. Pemra referred the matter to its Council of Complaints in Lahore, which took up the case over three separate sessions — June 30, July 2 and July 10 — hearing from Geo News representatives, reviewing the broadcast record and consulting the Council of Islamic Ideology before sending its recommendations back to the full authority.
Pemra’s authority board then took up the matter itself on July 11, during its 191st meeting, weighing the Council of Complaints’ findings alongside the network’s written and oral submissions, the full case record, and the governing provisions of the Pemra Ordinance and the Electronic Media Code of Conduct.
In its final written order, Pemra said Geo News had been given full opportunity to defend itself before any decision was made — but concluded the violation was serious enough that mitigating circumstances could not undo its consequences. The authority acknowledged that Geo News had admitted negligence, expressed remorse and issued a public apology across its platforms. Those steps, Pemra wrote, were mitigating factors, but they did not erase the violation or the legal consequences that followed from it.
With that finding, the authority affirmed its original June 27 order in full: a 15-day suspension, plus a fine of 10 million rupees, or roughly $35,800. Pemra made clear that reinstatement required both conditions to be met — the suspension period had to run its course, and the fine had to be paid — before transmission could legally resume.
Beyond the immediate penalty, Pemra’s order carries consequences for individual Geo News staff. The authority directed the network’s management to complete disciplinary proceedings against everyone found responsible for the broadcast and to terminate them under applicable employment rules. Pemra went further, ruling that anyone dismissed as a result would be barred from working, directly or indirectly, for any media outlet licensed, registered or authorised under its jurisdiction — a career-ending provision for those affected, within Pakistan’s regulated broadcast industry.
Pemra also required Geo News to file a formal affidavit confirming it will comply with the ruling and adhere to broadcast standards going forward, warning that “any recurrence of the same or a similar violation shall invite enhanced penalties, suspension or revocation of licence, in accordance with law.”
The authority’s warning did not stop at Geo News. Citing Clause 17 of the industry code of conduct, Pemra ordered every licensed broadcaster in the country to establish an independent, competent in-house monitoring committee or editorial board, disclose its membership to the regulator, and ensure that all content receives editorial review before airing. Pemra said it would issue a separate directive requiring every licensee to comply with a 2019 Supreme Court ruling — Suo Motu Case No. 28 of 2018 — governing broadcast standards, and cautioned that future violations across the industry would draw stricter enforcement.
Geo News, for its part, has not disputed the core facts. In a statement issued before Pemra’s final order, the network said the footage in question depicted rituals practiced by a limited number of people in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries, and that it was never intended to represent, endorse or promote any broader religious viewpoint. The network said the material was not produced in-house and was not aired with any deliberate intent, and it reiterated its stated commitment to respecting the beliefs of the broader Muslim community.
Geo News said the content was pulled as soon as the issue came to its attention, that it took prompt action against those involved, and that clarifications and an apology aired before public backlash had fully materialised. The network said it regretted any distress the broadcast caused.
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