Do Pakistanis ‘just hate fun’? Why are they fuming over dating show ‘Lazawal Ishq’?

A dating show has created furore in Pakistan, with some deeming it “un-Islamic”. The reality show, Lazawal Ishq, hosted by Zindagi Gulzar Hai actor Ayesha Omar, has stirred a sharp debate in the Islamic nation.

Many have called for its ban, while others are defending its right to exist in Pakistan’s entertainment landscape. Now, a petition has been filed before the Islamabad High Court against the dating show.

Here’s what is going on.

What’s Lazawal Ishq about?

Lazawal Ishq, or Eternal Love, bears similarity to the British reality show Love Island . Filmed in Turkey’s Istanbul, the Pakistani dating show is modelled on the Turkish format Aşk Adası.

It features four men and four women living together in a luxury villa, with their every interaction captured on camera. The contestants of Lazawal Ishq have varied backgrounds — from corporate professionals and lawyers to a dental student and even a theatre hopeful.

The Pakistani dating show premiered on YouTube on September 29 and will run for 100 episodes. During this course, the eight contestants will compete in challenges and forge alliances until one couple is declared the winner.

Pakistan fumes over Lazawal Ishq

Lazawal Ishq drew the ire of Pakistanis even before its first episode aired on YouTube. The promo featuring Omar cruising along the Bosporus faced a huge backlash, with critics labelling the format “un-Islamic”.

Boycott campaigns erupted on Pakistan’s social media, with hashtags targeting both the show and its host.

As per The Express Tribune, a social media user posted: “Let’s boycott and raise our voices before this shamelessness starts! Look the way these female actresses of Pakistan are spoiling our youth through western culture’s clothing! We don’t want such shows please!!”

Others came out in the show’s defence.

A user wrote: “Sadly, the people criticising here are often the same ones who enjoy reality shows from other countries. But when it’s our own reality show, made by our own people, we’re quick to criticise and degrade it, without even knowing the actual context and watching the show.”

He added, “We just never encourage or appreciate the efforts of our own people. Everyone acts like they spend all their time in worship, follow everything that our beautiful religion teaches, and never watch anything, which is simply not true. Stop acting like you’re a saint.”

After being flooded by complaints, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) had to issue a clarification last month. The regulator said the show was not licensed for television broadcast in Pakistan and hence was not under its jurisdiction.

“It does not fall within our domain,” Muhammad Tahir, a spokesperson for Pemra, told the Associated Press. “We do not regulate YouTube, and this content is not from any television channel. The general public is not aware that YouTube lies outside our regulatory scope.”

The controversy over the dating show has sparked a broader debate in Pakistan. While critics are calling it ‘haraam’, others are defending it as harmless entertainment.

Opponents have flooded the comment section of the dating show’s episodes on YouTube with Quranic verses, condemning the show as “unIslamic” and “immoral”.

This comes as dating remains stigmatised in Pakistan.

Pakistani TV host Fiza Ali called Lazawal Ishq “a dangerous influence on young minds”, saying it was a copy of Western dating shows.

Others defended the show’s creative freedom. “Pakistanis just hate fun. How is the Lazawal Ishq dating show going to harm you? Don’t watch it if you don’t want to,” a user wrote on X.

Pakistani users are also railing against the dating show for its content, with some dubbing it a “cultural embarrassment.” However, others called it “Pakistan’s guilty pleasure.”

But not everyone was so serious about the entire controversy. Referring to the border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan , a user shared a news clip and said: “Even the Taliban had enough of Lazawal Ishq”.

Another jibed: “Pakistan Afghanistan ka bhi Lazawal Ishq chal rhaa hai”.

Lazawal Ishq row reaches court

Now, the row over the dating show has surpassed the online space. Days after the show’s launch, a petition was filed by Faik Shah, chairman of the Amun Taraqqi Party, an Islamic party in Pakistan.

The petition claims that “the content shown in the programme is against societal values and contrary to national ethics”. It argues that the dating show promotes vulgarity and social corruption, claiming it could negatively influence young viewers and undermine Pakistan’s “moral standards”.

The petition sought the court to direct PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) and Pemra to strictly monitor content broadcast on digital platforms, as well as sought guidance from the Council of Islamic Ideology in this regard, as per Pakistani media reports.

In response, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir of the Islamabad High Court has issued notices to several authorities.

Host defends the dating show

Amid the outcry, Lazawal Ishq host, Ayesha Omar, has defended the dating show.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, she said that the show “is not inspired by Love Island. It’s not even a dating show”.

“Obviously, the promo’s got everyone speculating different things. Some people wrongly assumed that it’s about Pakistani boys and girls living together in a tropical villa,” Omar had said.

She went on to claim that the show’s format aligns “well with our culture, principles and values. In our society, eternal love leads to the sacred union of matrimony, and that’s what the show is going to end up in”.

With inputs from agencies