Unnecessary Overreaction.

For every thoughtless action there is an opposing overreaction. Faisal Vawda's outlandish stunt may have been in bad taste, but it certainly does not deserve to be officially sanctioned by the state. What is more, the punishment has been inexplicably misdirected. In an official notification, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) banned the anchorperson of the concerned talk show: Kashif Abbasi - and his show from being broadcast for 60 days rather than the perpetrator of the offending act, the Federal Minister for Water Resources. Thus one needless act follows another.

This is sadly not the first time PEMRA has forgotten its real responsibilities to focus on content policing. The regulatory body has the power to restrict vulgar, criminal or incendiary content from being aired, but it has no right to stop people from invoking ill-conceived metaphors. One thing must be absolutely clear, be it through props, mime or even dance, a person is free to express his opinions and views under the constitution. The court of public opinion is the proper forum to judge those views, and the verbal lashing the anchorperson of the show and the Federal Minister have received for their actions is punishment enough.

PEMRA's actions become even more ridiculous when we consider that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) had already punished Mr Vawda. Only the party he...