Pakistan, June 29 -- The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) suspended with "immediate effect" Geo News' licence for 15 days over airing a special transmission that the body said was "liable to hurt the religious sentiments of viewers".

In an order addressed to the chief executive officer of Independent Media Corporation (IMC) on June 28, PEMRA said the licence issued to IMC for "Geo News was suspended for a period of 15 days with immediate effect from the issuance." Issued under Section 30 of the PEMRA Ordinance 2002, the order citing the authority's monitoring wing said that the broadcast of Geo News' special transmission "constitutes a serious regulatory concern" due to religious, cultural and social sensitivities....