Geo News | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Geo News was allowed to resume its transmission on Sunday after remaining suspended for 15 days as ordered by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) over its regulatory violation. On Saturday, Pemra upheld its earlier decision to suspend Geo News for 15 days over the depiction of religious figures in the channel’s transmission aired on Muharram 10, warning that any future violation could lead to the cancellation of its licence. As the suspension period expired on Saturday, the channel resumed transmission at around Sunday midnight. In its final order, issued after the authority’s 191st meeting, Pemra said it had conducted a detailed review of the matter, taking into account the recommendations of the Council of Complaints, Lahore, the record of proceedings, the written and oral submissions of the licence holder, the Pemra Ordinance 2002, the relevant rules, and the Electronic Media (Programmes and Advertisements) Code of Conduct, 2015. The Council of Complaints deliberated on th...

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has written to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) seeking “guidance” on whether Geo News’ response to the recent suspension is adequate or requires further action, it emerged on Thursday. On June 28, Pemra 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”. Geo News has acknowledged its mistake in airing the transmission broadcast on Muharram 10 and has also taken action against two employees. The letter, dated July 1, and addressed to the CII chairman, Pemra requested guidance on the matter, with Council of Complaints (CoC) Chairperson Lubna Zaheer stating, “The CII is requested to guide whether the suspension order already passed and the public apology as well as actions so far rendered by Geo News constitute an adequate response and if not, to what extent any further action may be warranted in light of Islamic teachings and...

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 pr...

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has suspended the licence of Geo News for 15 days over what it called an "unacceptable religious depiction" in its Muharram programme Safar-e-Ishq.

The live television feed of Geo News was hacked on Sunday night, with a subversive message being displayed. In a statement, the Geo News management said that for the past 24 hours, attempts were being made to hack the channel — which was on the communication satellite PAKSAT — and disrupt its broadcast. The management said that for some time now, the channel had been facing continuous disruptions. “Geo News’ screen was hacked to display an inappropriate message,” the statement said, adding that the situation had nothing to do with the channel. It called on authorities to take notice of the incident, take immediate action and bring those responsible to justice.