Pakistan bans Valentine's Day for promoting 'nudity and indecency'

TV and radio stations in Pakistan will be banned from broadcasting any programming relating to Valentine's Day, in compliance with a court order the Islamabad High Court issued last year.

On Wednesday (7 February), the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) announced it will comply with the ban.

"Respondents are directed to ensure that nothing about the celebrations of Valentine's Day and its promotion is spread on the Electronic and Print Media," the regulator said in a statement.

"No event shall be held at official level and at any public place."

In early 2017, Abdul Waheed filed a petition arguing the celebrations around Valentine's Day were spreading "immorality, nudity and indecency" in Pakistan.

His case struck a chord and a day before Valentine's Day last year, Judge Shaukat Siddiqui issued a binding notice ordering a blanket broadcasting ban of any material related the celebration.

"No event shall be held at official level and at any public place," the court ordered at the time.

Waheed's petition was not the first time the celebration had attracted criticism in Pakistan, which is home to the second-highest number of Muslim in the world after Indonesia.

Last year, Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain claimed the event was a Western import which threatened to undermine the foundation of the Pakistani society.

"Valentine's Day has no connection with our culture and it should be avoided," Hussain said.

However, despite the bans and the fact it celebrates a Christian saint, Valentine's Day remains extremely popular in Pakistan. Just as is the case in the West, florists in Pakistan enjoyed a booming trade in the days leading up to the celebration, while retailers advertise themed sales and restaurants offer special deals aimed at attracting couples.

Last year, online retailers promoting Black Friday sales were strongly criticised for denigrating the Muslim day of weekly congregational prayers.