Karachi:
Ayesha Omar will perform to Lazawaal IshQ, the first reality dating reality show. The announcement has already activated a strong debate. The concept reflects international formats such as Love Island, which brings together four men and four women in a town where they will leave, participate in challenges and form alliances, while the cameras track each of their movements. The end will see a couple declared the winners.
The teaser, launched in mid -September, quickly divided the public. They interrupted online criticism, and many argue that the program faced cultural traditions and Islamic values. Boicot campaigns spread on social networks, with hashtags aimed at both the program and their host. The calls also grew so that regulators intervene before they could reach the screens.
In response to the controversy, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) issued a clarification. The regulator confirmed that he has received a lot of complaints, but explained that Lazawaal IshQ has not received a license for television broadcast in Pakistan. Pemra said that its jurisdiction applies only to licensed television channels, and since the program teasers circulate online and will be broadcast on YouTube, it cannot prohibit or approve the content at this stage.
From Istanbul, Ayesha Omar defended the project as an innovative step for the Urdu -speaking public. She said the contestants are all Pakistani and described production as a mixture of drama, romance and competition. With its 24 -hour -pool and filming environment, he added, the series is designed to offer an immersive reality show experience never before tried in the local industry.
Despite its optimism, the setback is still strong. Religious groups, cultural commentators and many users of social networks argue that quotes show the risk of undermining family values and promoting behaviors considered inappropriate. Some critics have even promised to approach the courts to try to block the program before it is launched.
A user declared “Boys, we all have to inform it. He is against our culture and norms of religion.”
Another declared “Report please, we don’t support it.”
Another user declared that “he has some decency, it is one thing to sin … and it is another to publish it !!! Fear Allah … What are you leaving behind in this world?” What are you directing people? My nation will be forgiven except those that sin in public. Among them is a man who commits an evil action at night that Allah has hidden for him, then, in the morning, says: Oh people, I have committed this sin! His lord had hid him during the night, but in the morning he reveals what Allah has hidden. ”
Another declared: “Unfortunately, the people who criticize here are often the same ones who enjoy the reality shows of other countries. But when it is our own reality show, done by our own people, we are quickly to criticize and degrade it, without even knowing the real context and seeing the program. We simply never encouraged or appreciate the efforts of our own people. Everyone acts as everything that passes in their time. They follow everything that our beautiful religion teaches, and we never encourage and appreciate the efforts of our people.
Another user declared “We are going to boycott and raise our voices before this shame begins!
From now on, no official transmission date or platform has been confirmed, leaving the program in uncertain territory. What is clear is that Lazawaal Ishq has already become a point of inflammation in discussions about entertainment, regulation and cultural identity. For followers, it represents the opportunity to experiment with new formats and expand the Urdu content in the global stage. For detractors, the tension between imported media and local values stands out. Whatever its destination, the debate surrounding the program has ensured that it will be remembered as a marker of how played the future of television in Pakistan has become.
