Daily Times

A bill has been passed that prohibits celebrities from hosting Ramazan transmissions. This resolution has been submitted by the Punjab Assembly last week and has now been accepted.

The Punjab Assembly had requested the federal government to ensure that all television channels follow rules, paying utmost respect to Ramazan time transmissions and strictly invite religious scholars to their shows.

This resolution was passed on April 30, 2019 on behalf of the Pakistan Rah-e-Haq parliamentary leader Maulana Muhammad Muavia Azam which stated, “Having people associated with showbiz host Ramazan transmissions is an unfortunate practice. Ramazan transmissions are being hosted by people who have no affiliation with the ranks of the Islamic faith. This practice afflicts the spirits of millions of Muslims every year.”

The bill included an appeal to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to enforce the ban on celebrities that host Ramazan shows.

PEMRA still has not made any comments on the matter.

Many celebrities like Fahad Mustafa, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Ayesha Omar, Juggan Kazim, Nida Yasir, Sanam Baloch and Imran Abbas have hosted such Ramazan shows in the past.

Does the resolution bring any change to the hypocritical culture in the country? Can we make a judgement on who is more worthy when it comes to faith? Is every religious scholar a perfect role model for the nation to follow?

The writer can be reached at zarimua@gmail.com