People in journalism and civil society have spoken out against the PEMRA warning. Author Azhar Abbas wrote on X that Asha Bhosle liked Noor Jahan, a famous singer from Pakistan.
Pakistan’s media watchdog, PEMRA, has told Geo News, the country’s biggest news outlet, that it needs to explain why it is showing information about Asha Bhosle. “Broadcasting Indian Songs and Visuals from Indian Films” is what the notice says is wrong. Pakistani media and activists have spoken out against “such unprecedented control.” Many people say, “Art and artists should not be killed during times of war and conflict.”
Bhosle passed away in Mumbai on April 12, 2018. He was 92 years old. There were a lot of tributes, some from across the line. Dawn wrote about the singer on Monday and said that “her music crossed borders and touched the hearts of many Pakistanis.”
The biography also told stories about her ties to Pakistan and the confusion in Pakistan over an actor with the same name who also died. Geo News also showed things about her, and they have now been told about it.
Most media and people in civil society called the notice out, calling it silly. A journalist named Azhar Abbas wrote a long piece on X in which he said, “It has always been customary to revisit and celebrate the work of iconic artists when reporting on them.”
“In fact, for an artist as famous as Asha Bhosle, we should have shared even more of her classic and memorable songs…” Asha Bhosle loved Noor Jahan, the famous singer from Pakistan, and she called her her “elder sister.” Abbas also said, “She worked with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and brought the poetry of great Urdu poets like Nasir Kazmi to life.”
Magistrate Azaz Syed of Geo News agreed
“Perhaps no one has ever seen such complete control over Pakistan’s main stream media before.” The fact that they aired their work about Asha Bhosle’s death led to them getting a “show-cause” notice. “Those who run the media have called it anti-state while pretending to be patriots, even though the media has always done its job,” he wrote on X.
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Having a duty to the state
The Pakistani reporter Gharidah Farooqui also didn’t like the PEMRA letter. The X post said, “Art and culture must not be limited or limited by any means.” For Rauf Klasra, a writer, it was worse.
It was illegal to own a VCR or films in the 1980s, and people were punished for doing so. Please don’t take us back to those harsh times. This is the era of Netflix and AI. “Don’t make us look stupid now,” he wrote.
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Amir Zafar Khan a lawyer said it was an unnecessary “censorship”
The person who did it on X called it a “boomer” move by those who “have destroyed Pakistan’s entertainment industry.” His writing said, “Please take it apart.”
It was called “peace-broker pettiness” by human rights writer Alifya Sohail because Pakistan hosted the first peace talks between Iran and the US.
Kamran Yousaf, a journalist, was sure that the people who sent the “show cause” letter “must have been listening to Asha Bhosle’s songs and many other legendary artists from across the border.”
Fawad Hussain, a former I&B minister and PTI senator, called it “illiterate mentality in full swing.”
He wrote on X, “@NawazSharifMNS should tell PMO we’ll fight Modi’s hegemony, but things that bring people together must be more important than political differences. These include Sur, Sangeet, sports, culture, trans boundaries, and sanity demands we learn to respect legends!!”
But not everyone agreed
Pakistani writer Wajahat Kazmi didn’t see Geo News’s coverage as a step toward pluralism. Instead, he criticised the news organization’s editing goals before May 2025, which will mark the one-year anniversary of the conflict between India and Pakistan.
He wrote on X, “By giving such prominent coverage to an Indian celebrity during a time of national remembrance, the channel appears to be completely out of touch with public opinion and its duty to the state.”
He said that the choice shows “a clear disconnect in editorial judgement”
“As the country gets ready to honour Marka-e-Haq’s history and sacrifices, a major news outlet is instead turning the attention to cross-border entertainment.” People expect a big news outlet to support the national story, but Geo seems more interested in creating a distraction. It’s not just about one story; it’s about an editorial direction that doesn’t seem to be in line with the values of the country at a crucial time, his post said.
There was a Pakistani reporter who had the best reaction to the whole thing. Noreen Zahra of Geo News used an Indian singer-songwriter named Gulzar to voice her displeasure.
She wrote on X, “Eyes don’t need a visa because dreams are beyond borders.”
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