Pakistani media house Geo News was pulled up by the country's electronic media regulator for airing content related to legandary Indian singer Asha Bhosle, following her demise on Sunday. According to Azhar Abbas, the channel's managing director, the show-cause notice was received from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority or PEMRA.
"It has always been customary to revisit and celebrate the work of iconic artists when reporting on them. In fact, for an artist of Asha Bhosle's stature, we should have shared even more of her timeless and memorable songs than we did," Abbas said on social media platform X on Monday.
Further he went on to say that art and knowledge are a shared heritage of humanity, and should not be restricted by borders. Bhosle herself used to admire Pakistan's legendary singer Noor Jahan, whom she fondly referred to as "elder sister", he added.
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He recollected how the singer had collaborated Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and brought to life the poetry of great Urdu poets like Nasir Kazmi.
"In times of war and conflict, art and artists should not become casualties. Intellectuals, musicians, and creators are often the very voices that stand against hatred and division, and the ones who bring people closer together," Abbas concluded.
Bhosle passed away at the age of 92 in Mumbai following a cardiac arrest and pulmonary complications. Her son Anand Bhosle confirmed the news of her death. Her last rites were held in Shivaji Park in Mumbai with full state honours on Monday.
Bhosle, the younger sister of the late legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, has recorded over 12,500 songs in different languages over a career spanning eight decades, lending her voice to leading ladies from Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Zeenat Aman to Kajol, Urmila Matondkar and South stars like Padmini and Vyjayanthimala. Her first song was in 1943 at the age of 10 for the Marathi film Majha Bal.
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