The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Saturday suspended with “immediate effect” Geo News’ licence for 15 days over airing a special transmission that the body said was “liable to hurt the religious sentiments of viewers”.

In an order addressed to the chief executive officer of Independent Media Corporation (IMC) on June 28, Pemra said the licence issued to IMC for “Geo News was suspended for a period of 15 days with immediate effect from the issuance.”

Issued under Section 30 of the Pemra Ordinance 2002, the order citing the authority’s monitoring wing said that the broadcast of Geo News’ special transmission “constitutes a serious regulatory concern” due to religious, cultural and social sensitivities.

Pemra noted in its order that the aired content was inconsistent with the obligations of a licensee under sections 20(b), (c), (d) and (f) of the Pemra Ordinance.

Section 20(b) mandates a licensee to ensure the preservation of “national, cultural, social and religious values and the principles of public policy as enshrined in the Constitution”, while Section 20(c) orders ensuring that “all programmes and advertisements do not contain or encourage” religious discrimination or sectarianism, among other themes.

Pemra noted that the matter was “also inconsistent” with its June 15 directive regarding ‘Observance of Sanctity of the Holy Month of Muharramul Haram’.

As per the order, the Geo News transmission will remain suspended on satellite and all distribution networks and platforms for the said period, with all distribution service licensees and operators directed to ensure immediate compliance with the Pemra order.

Additionally, Pemra referred the matter to its Council of Complaints for “examination, hearing and furnishing of appropriate recommendations, including consideration of further regulatory action, if so warranted under law”.

The regulatory body also directed Geo News to conduct an internal inquiry into the editorial, monitoring and compliance lapses leading to the broadcasting of the content, and to submit its recommendations to the Council, along with details of corrective and preventative measures during a hearing.

Geo apologises for ‘mistake’

Geo News in a statement acknowledged its mistake in airing the transmission broadcast on Muharram 10:

“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.”

The channel also expressed regret that the material in question was broadcast.

“The incident was completely unintentional. This was a grave editorial error. It was neither deliberate nor reflective of Geo News’ editorial values or institutional beliefs […] We identified and corrected the mistake ourselves,” it said, adding that show-cause notices were issued to the reporter and the members of the editorial committee responsible for the “lapse”.

“A formal inquiry was initiated, and strict disciplinary action is being taken in accordance with our internal policies,” it added.