Complain to PEMRA About a TV Channel or Cable Operator: Call 0800-73672

To complain to PEMRA about a TV channel, an advert or a cable operator, call the free helpline 0800-73672 (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm) or use the PEMRA app. For a formal hearing, write to the Council of Complaints in your province. Its rules say a complaint should be settled within 40 days.

PEMRA is the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority. It licenses TV channels, FM radio stations and cable TV operators. We read its complaints pages, the Council of Complaints rules in the Gazette and the 2023 amendment to its law on 2 October 2026.

Three ways to lodge a PEMRA complaint

You can complain to PEMRA by phone on 0800-73672, through the PEMRA Official App on Android or iPhone, or through the Pakistan Citizen Portal app. For a hearing before a Council of Complaints, write to the council for your region or to PEMRA's officers.

The helpline is the easiest start. If nothing happens, the written route to a council is the one with legal teeth, because the council can summon the channel or operator.

What PEMRA will hear, and what it will not

PEMRA's councils hear complaints from the public about any aspect of a programme or advert broadcast by a TV channel or radio station, or distributed by a cable operator it licenses. Since 2023 they also hear media workers' complaints about unpaid wages.

In practice, that covers things like:

• an advert you think is indecent or misleading;
• a talk show or drama that breaks PEMRA's code of conduct;
• a news report you believe is false, which the 2023 law calls disinformation;
• a cable operator carrying a programme that breaks the rules.

Internet speed and mobile packages fall outside PEMRA. They belong to PTA, which runs its own telecom complaint system.

Cable bills are a grey area. The council rules define a "subscriber", but the pages we read do not say whether a billing dispute with your cable operator goes to PEMRA. Ask on 0800-73672 before you file one.

Write a PEMRA complaint in six steps

A strong complaint names the channel or operator, the programme, the date and time it aired, and what was wrong. Record or note it as soon as you see it, because a council works from evidence and the broadcast will not repeat itself.

1. Note the channel name, the programme or advert, the date and the exact time.
2. Record a short phone clip of the screen if you can, or take photos.
3. Write down what was wrong in plain words: the scene, the line spoken or the claim made.
4. Call 0800-73672 or file on the PEMRA app, and keep the complaint number.
5. If you want a hearing, send a written complaint to the Council of Complaints for your province, with your name, contact details and evidence.
6. Attend if the council calls you. Keep copies of everything you send.

PEMRA's council page says a complaint can be addressed to the Chairman PEMRA, the Director General (Operations, Broadcast Media), the council's chairperson, or the regional director who acts as the council's secretary.

Councils of Complaints sit in five cities

PEMRA has Councils of Complaints in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar. Each has a chairperson and five members from the public, at least two of them women. Members are honorary. You complain to the council where the programme was watched.

PEMRA's page gave no phone number for the Lahore council when we checked. Use the helpline or the Islamabad number to ask.

The council has 40 days and can recommend fines

Under the 2010 council rules, a council must act on a complaint at once and dispose of it within 40 days. It can summon the channel or operator. If they do not appear, it can decide on the record. The council then recommends action, and PEMRA itself makes the final decision.

The 2023 amendment to the PEMRA law gave the councils sharper powers. They can recommend:

• a fine of Rs 200,000 to Rs 1 million against an individual;
• censure, or a fine of up to Rs 2 million, against a channel or operator;
• suspension of the licence, or a ban on a programme, if a licensee repeats the violation.

For a disinformation complaint, the law gives the council 30 days to check the content against documents and make its recommendation. It allows no more than two adjournments.

A recommendation is not a final order. PEMRA can accept it, reject it with written reasons, or send it back. PEMRA publishes lists of complaints received by its call centre, through the Citizen Portal and by the councils on its website, so you can see what others have reported. If PEMRA itself does not act on your complaint, the Wafaqi Mohtasib hears complaints of maladministration against federal agencies.

Common questions

What is the PEMRA complaint number?

0800-73672. It is toll free and answers Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

Can I complain to PEMRA online?

Yes, through the PEMRA Official App on Android or iPhone, or the Pakistan Citizen Portal app.

How long does a PEMRA council take?

The 2010 rules say 40 days. For disinformation complaints, the 2023 law says 30 days.

Can PEMRA fine a TV channel?

Yes. A council can recommend a fine of up to Rs 2 million against a licensee, and PEMRA decides.

Does PEMRA handle slow internet complaints?

No. Internet and mobile complaints go to PTA, not PEMRA.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 2 October 2026. The helpline, hours, app links and the complaint lists are from PEMRA's complaints page. The council addresses, phone numbers, members and the text of section 26 as amended in 2023, including the fines and the 30-day limit, are from PEMRA's Council of Complaints page. The 40-day limit, summons and jurisdiction rule are from the Council of Complaints rules published in the Gazette of Pakistan on 30 December 2010, which we read from the scanned copy on PEMRA's website. We did not file a complaint or call the helpline.