Amir Liaquat Banned: Here are 5 times he stirred controversies on live TV

According to reports, the television sensation and Member of National Assembly (MNA), Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain, has been fired from Express TV. The scores of controversies, including harassment jokes and frequent social media scandals, finally took a toll on the TV personality.

Express TV channel has not made an official announcement about Dr. Amir Liaquat’s termination but some media outlets have pointed out that he has unfollowed Express TV on his official social media account. The majority of social media users believe that it was inevitable and that this fall from grace may force the MNA to realize the gravity of his conduct.

This is not the first time Amir Liaquat has been banned from TV.

The televangelist and TV host Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain was banned from television, social media, and print media by a Pakistani court in 2017.

An Islamabad High Court judge, Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui approved the interim measure based on arguments submitted by petitioner Muhammad Abbas’s lawyer Shoaib Razaq. Razaq told the court that Hussain didn’t have any Islamic degree or certification and yet called himself an ‘aalim’ (religious scholar).

The Islamabad High Court banned Amir Liaquat from making any media appearances on the 13th of December 2017 till further notice. Following the court orders, PEMRA directed all the private TV channels and all FM radio stations to prohibit the appearance of Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain in any capacity.

Top 5 Controversies that led to Dr. Aamir Liaquat’s Ban

1. ‘Giving away’ babies

Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain sparked outrage among the public in 2013 for ‘giving away’ babies to childless couples during live coverage of a Ramadan transmission. Hussain was despised for giving out infants to parents as a ‘Ramadan gift’ without any proper investigation or paperwork.

2. Smear Campaign

Global human rights organization Amnesty International criticized the Government of Pakistan for not taking action against Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain for risking the lives of journalists, bloggers, and social activists in March 2017.

In an open letter to the former Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, Amnesty’s senior adviser South Asia, David Griffiths, termed the content of Amir Liaquat’s show ‘Aisay Nahi Chalay Ga’ on Bol News “a chilling example” of a “smear campaign”.

3. Hateful Comments against Minorities

In a morning TV show on Pakistan’s most-watched TV channel, televangelist Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain along with a panel of clerics made hateful comments against a minority community and discussed their murder as an act of religious duty. To the shock of many, within days of the broadcast of the show, two prominent Ahmadis were killed.

4. Re-enactment of the Suicide of a Girl on TV

PEMRA barred Dr. Aamir Liaquat Hussain from hosting the Ramadan show “Inam Ghar” on Geo Entertainment for three days following his June 2016 episode in which he unpleasantly re-enacted the suicide of a girl. PEMRA immediately issued a show-cause notice to Geo TV for airing inappropriate content, including ‘suicide scenes’ in the show.

5. Profane Language

A controversial behind-the-scenes video went viral on social media in 2011 showing Dr. Aamir Liaquat using profane language with his teammates during a show. In the same video, he was seen mocking his religious guests, impulsively singing Indian songs, and referring to Indian movies.
The leaked video sparked a huge controversy as it revealed an inconceivable side of a TV host who was regarded as a religious expert. In his defense, Hussain accused the TV channel of creating the alleged fake video to smear his credibility, and stated that the video must have been edited and dubbed by “masters of synchronization”.

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