Pakistan regulator suspends Geo News for Muharram broadcast controversy

Pakistan’s media regulator suspended Geo News’ broadcast licence for 15 days on June 28, 2026, after a special Muharram transmission aired material that PEMRA said could offend religious sentiment and disturb public order. PEMRA said the channel ran the segment during a June 26 programme marking Muharram, one of the most sensitive periods in the Islamic calendar.

Geo News apologised and said the material had been aired in error and did not reflect its editorial position or beliefs. The channel said the footage, which showed rituals practiced by some people in Iraq and the Middle East, was meant to illustrate local customs rather than endorse any religious view. The programme was Safar-e-Ishq, a special transmission for Muharram 10.

PEMRA said the broadcast contained “religious visualisations” and took the suspension with immediate effect. The regulator also ordered an internal inquiry and referred the matter to its Council of Complaints, which can review complaints and make recommendations to the authority. Geo News removed the content from all of its platforms after the dispute escalated.

Depictions of the Prophet Mohammed and other revered Islamic figures remain highly charged in Pakistan, and authorities routinely deploy heightened security around Muharram commemorations because religious disputes can escalate quickly.

PEMRA was created under the PEMRA Ordinance 2002 and regulates private electronic media. Reporters Without Borders ranked Pakistan 153rd of 180 countries in its 2026 World Press Freedom Index and says the government has direct control over media regulators, which systematically favour defending the government over the public’s right to information.

RSF’s index, published annually since 2002, placed more than half of the world’s countries in the “difficult” or “very serious” press-freedom categories this year. The International Federation of Journalists said on May 4, 2026, that Pakistan’s media environment had worsened under legal pressure, digital authoritarianism and economic stress.