Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri proposed that television (TV) programmes pertaining to the Ramazan transmission should be hosted by religious scholars to avert controversies.

The minister, in a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, said for the last few years, few anchors, who were not well-versed with Islamic teachings, had been conducting programmes during the holy month of Ramazan. Due to lack of Islamic knowledge, they had created many religious controversies and social media hype having negative impacts on the people, he added. Qadri said there must be a dress code for the hosts and the participants of programmes to keep the sanctity of the holy month of Ramazan.

No controversial topics should be discussed in the programmes, while keeping the respect of all sacred personalities in view, he added. The minister said the TV channels should avoid airing entertainment and recreational shows particularly at Sehr and Iftar timings. Moreover, such stuff should also be avoided in the religious programmes. Unethical stuff and advertisement should not be broadcast, he added.

He said the TV programmes should be based on such content which not only impart true Islamic knowledge, but also promote religious harmony across all sections of the society. The minister urged the prime minister to direct the Information Ministry and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to issue such guidelines for all the TV channels.