On Thursday, the news began circulating on various WhatsApp groups and social media websites that the famous stand-up comedian and program host Tabish Hashmi had been replaced by Geo News with well-known comedy program “Hansna Mana Hai.”
Tabish Hashmi had been hosting this program on Geo News for the past two years, and the program had a good audience. However, according to this news, Tabish Hashmi has been removed. It was being said that in the future, this program will be hosted by the famous comedian, actor, and host Ahmed Ali Butt.
According to reliable sources, this news is right and is actually a social media prank or hoax.
Before providing further details about this news, here is some brief information for readers who are not familiar with the renowned commedian. Tabish Hashmi is based in Karachi and is a graduate of Karachi’s renowned university. It is also mentioned that he holds Canadian citizenship. Tabish Hashmi gained popularity among the youth through his comedy programs on YouTube. He continued to run his stand-up comedy program “Dil Phaink Stock” and later hosted a talk show “To Be Honest” on Nashpati Prime where he conducted interviews with various showbiz celebrities. It is assumed that due to this program, he was approached by Geo News to host “Hansna Mana Hai.”
Tabish Hashmi is currently hosting Geo News’ main program, but he has faced harsh criticism on social media. The biggest objection to Tabish Hashmi was his use of inappropriate and often crass language in his satirical remarks. Many individuals expressed their criticism on Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp groups, questioning how such vulgar language could be used on a family channel.
There were also many complaints against Hashmi in PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority). It is reported that PEMRA had previously issued warnings to Geo News regarding objectionable and indecent content on the program.
A segment of Tabeer Hashmi’s program involved blindfolding a guest and making them guess something through their senses and then the host deliberately use sensationalized phrases and sentences, which would make the guest uneasy, and then he would reveal that the actual item was something else. The phrases he use were often crass and commonly heard in lowbrow theatres.
According to sources, a few days ago, a lawyer from Lahore also filed a complaint with PEMRA, providing evidence. However, this criticism and PEMRA’s warnings didn’t seem to affect Geo News’ administration. It is likely that they believed that the more controversial the program, the more viewership it would gain.
According to reliable sources, those who were initially pleased with the news of Tabish Hashmi’s removal should rethink. Hashmi is still present and not going anywhere. Just a few days ago, senior journalist Sohail Warraich also hosted his famous program “Aik Din Geo Ke Sath” with him. If the administration was considering removing Tabish, then why would they have continued the program with him?
According to rumors circulating on social media, it was claimed that Ahmed Ali Butt would replace Tabish in the program. According to reliable sources, this news is also incorrect. Ahmed Ali Butt is indeed participating as a guest in Tabish Hashmi’s program. Ahmed Butt also hosts a separate program on a private channel and has no intention of leaving that.
The news about Hashmi leaving the program and Ahmed Ali Butt becoming the new host is actually nothing more than a social media prank or hoax. The purpose behind this is to increase the program’s ratings. The program’s team is expecting that their current ratings will reach record levels.
In relation to this, an interesting comment was made by a friend. When the rumor of this news was mentioned to him, he strongly criticized it, stating that Geo TV could never do such a thing. According to him, the channel’s main objective is to harm our moral values, and they knowingly broadcast such sensational phrases and vulgar humor during family time to break societal ethical barriers. I advised our friend to balance his extremely anti-Geo viewpoint and reminded him that constant negativity doesn’t lead to a solution. He also realized that there was a statement from a reliable source confirming that Tabish Hashmi is not being removed, and this is just an attempt to boost ratings.
