Pak actor banned from hosting Ramazan TV show

KARACHI: A Pakistani actor has been banned from hosting a popular Ramazan TV show by the country's media regulator for allegedly violating its "code of conduct" by promoting controversial religious and sectarian views.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said it banned Hamza Ali Abbasi from hosting the show after receiving numerous complaints from viewers over the show's controversial content which it claimed violated the media regulator's "code of conduct."

Abbasi surprised the Pakistani audience by speaking against the oppression of the minority Ahmadis on his show Ishq-e-Ramazan.

Abbasi also promised to have open discussions on his show on the country's controversial blasphemy laws and the government's decision to declare the minority Qadiani sect as non-Muslims.