Geo News apologises for Muharram broadcast following PEMRA suspension

The Pakistani broadcaster was taken off the air for 15 days after the media regulator ruled a documentary on Middle Eastern rituals was liable to offend religious sentiments.

Pakistani television channel Geo News issued a formal apology on Sunday after the state media watchdog handed the network a 15-day suspension a day earlier.

The regulatory body, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), forced the Karachi-based news channel off the air on Saturday. PEMRA declared that transmitting the visual material presented a major regulatory issue given the prevailing social, cultural, and religious sensitivities, stating the content was liable to wound the religious sentiments of viewers and risk disrupting public order.

In a statement published on its website, Geo News acknowledged an editorial error concerning the content broadcast during its 10th Muharram transmission. The network clarified that the programme, titled “Safar-e-Ishq”, showcased specific rituals performed by a limited number of individuals in Iraq and other Middle Eastern nations, though the broadcaster did not explicitly detail the exact nature of the rituals portrayed.

The details provided by the media watchdog did not expand on the specific documentary contents.

The suspension of the major broadcaster comes at a time when Pakistan ranks low on international media metrics, placing 158th out of 180 nations on the 2025 Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).