Islamabad: Pakistan's national media regulator has asked television and radio stations to avoid offending religious sentiments and 'corrupting the nation's youth' in their Valentine's Day broadcasts.
The notification was more of a request than a stricter enforcement of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulator Authority (PEMRA) rules.
According to the Express Tribune, the watchdog's circular said that it was acting on complaints that celebrating Valentines Day was not in line with 'our religious and cultural ethos'.
The regulator's letter said that 'such events have been perceived as a source of depraving, corrupting and injuring the morality of Pakistani youth as well as violating Code of Conduct developed by PEMRA'.
While pointing towards PEMRA rules of 2009 on the subject, it added that 'all satellite TV channels/FM stations are, therefore requested to honour viewer's sentiments/opinion while conceptualizing any programme or celebrating any event connected to The Valentine's Day'.
A PEMRA official told an international news agency that the regulator had not banned Valentine's Day programme broadcast, but instead issued a request to channels in the wake of public complaints, the report added.
(ANI)
First Published: Thursday, February 14, 2013, 12:37