HACA suspends Shada Radio program for religious influence on voters

The High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA) has suspended the broadcast of the program ‘Deen wa Dunya’ on Shada Radio for one month, effective September 19, 2026. The decision follows a report regarding an episode aired on September 18, 2026.

The suspension stems from statements made by a guest introduced as a ‘religious scholar’ who used his religious status to influence voters. The guest urged listeners to vote for candidates based on religious piety and criticized others as corrupt or disrespectful to religion. HACA ruled that these remarks violated legal and regulatory requirements regarding the integrity of programs, objectivity, and neutrality.

The authority noted that the guest’s attempt to use religious practice to direct electoral will constitutes a breach of the duty of reserve and fails to promote social cohesion. Additionally, the regulator found that the program host’s reactions generally supported the guest’s views, violating requirements for responsible broadcasting and control. This decision follows previous warnings and a two-week suspension issued to the program in 2018.