Drama Hadsa to resume broadcast after Islamabad High Court reverses PEMRA’s ban

Drama Hadsa is set to resume broadcast after Islamabad High Court reverses PEMRA’s ban!

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a judgment overturning the ban on the controversial drama serial Hadsa.

Legal expert Reema Omar shared a copy of IHC’s judgment on X-platform, where it was highlighted that the regulation board had not listened to the drama makers before announcing the ban.

“The inconvenience caused to the applicant/appellant side including their irreparable loss is visible, all these ingredients compel this Court to pass the injunctive order.”

IHC also ordered that the explicit scene in question- the controversial gang rape of Episode 5- may not be repeated or broadcast in the upcoming episodes.

In August, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) prohibited the broadcast/re-broadcast of the drama serial ‘Hadsa’ upon a complaint filed by Barrister Khadija Siddiqui.

A notification issued by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority stated that the broadcast and rebroadcast of the drama is prohibited with immediate effect.

It added that the ban has been imposed under Section 27 of the PEMRA Act and that the matter had been referred to based on ‘public outrage and sentiments’.

Intense outrage hit social media demanding a ban on the drama in question journalist Fereeha Idress revealed how the drama ‘Hadsa’ was similar to the horrific motorway rape account.

Director Wajahat Rauf responded to the criticism directed at Hadsa by saying that the drama was not based on the life of the motorway survivor, and said the purpose of the screenplay was to raise awareness about the ordeal rape survivors go through:

“The drama is not based on the motorway incident. The protagonist, her husband, her three children, the family dynamics, the police officers who investigate the crime, the reason behind the crime, and the trial are all fictional. The only thing common is the part that the incident occurred on a highway.”