ISLAMABAD: During a hearing before the Council of Complaints, Supreme Court lawyer Saim Hashmi, representing Geo News’ license-holder company, unconditionally admitted the management’s mistake and offered an unconditional apology.
Representing Geo News alongside High Court lawyer Arbaz Khan, Hashmi submitted relevant documents to the Council, stating that following an immediate internal inquiry, the employee responsible for producing the documentary and the editorial committee member who approved it had both been dismissed.
Hashmi also informed the Council that, to prevent similar incidents in the future, Geo News has decided to include a qualified Islamic scholar on its editorial committee to review sensitive religious content before broadcast.
The case relates to a one-hour religious travel documentary aired on the 10th of Muharram.
The documentary inadvertently contained 13 seconds of sensitive footage.
Geo News said it stopped further broadcasts of the program and removed the content from its digital platforms even before receiving PEMRA’s notification
