ISLAMABAD – Pakistani television channels may no longer show “intimatemoments between couples” or “bed scenes”, the conservative country’s mediaregulator has announced, complaining of too much feminist content andwarning that such “bold themes” offend viewers.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) issued itswarning on Tuesday, calling on channels to respect the country’s existingmedia guidelines and refrain from airing content that does not depict a”picture of true Pakistani society”.
“The prevalent rampant trend of airing quite bold themes in Pakistani dramaindustry has resulted in massive public complaints,” PEMRA said in anEnglish-language statement.
“Indecent scenes/dialogues/extramarital relations, violence, inappropriatedressing, rape scenes, caressing, bed scenes, use of drugs and alcohol,intimate moments between couples are being glamourized in utter disregardto Pakistani culture and values,” it continued.
Pakistani dramas and soap operas, many of which seek to challenge thedeeply patriarchal country’s conservative taboos, are immensely popular,according to data from PEMRA and Gallup Pakistan.
Many revolve around plotlines portraying social issues such as domesticviolence, child abuse, misogyny and women. Activists have previously hailedsome as potentially powerful vehicles for grassroots change.
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Last year, a soap opera dramatising the life of social media star QandeelBaloch — infamous for her provocative selfies, until her shocking murderby her brother in 2016 — topped the charts.
Other shows highlighting the issues of so-called “honour” killings andforced marriages were also hits, despite being targeted by a wave ofvitriol on social media, with people accusing the channels of spreadingvulgarity and destroying social values.
In its statement PEMRA said such dramas “depict hackneyed image of womenand have confined themselves to feminist issues only… ignoring children,teenagers and men”.
Television channels have been told to refrain from airing content that doesnot depict ‘a picture of true Pakistani society’. APP/AFP
