No more issues with airing Indian TV channels in Pak : Kaira

ISLAMABAD - Call it the Sania-Shoaib marriage effect or not, as Pakistan, which was once contemplating a ban on all Indian television channels, now does not have any issues with Indian channels being aired in the country.

Talking to a visiting Indian media delegation here, Information and Broadcasting Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said his government would not block the transmission of Indian channels if they approach it via proper route.

Kaira said New Delhi should also reciprocate in the same manner and allow hassle free transmission of Pakistani television channels in the country.

“Allowing the broadcasting of each other’s TV channels should be a part of the diplomatic exchanges between the two countries,” The News quoted Kaira, as saying.

He said the government has softened its stand on the issue, and several Indian channels are being aired in the country by cable operators despite it being ‘illegal.’

“Our policy is that even if Indian channels are shown here without licence, we ignore it,” he said.

Kaira told the Indian delegation that Pakistan has no specific objections to the broadcasting of Indian channels in the country.

He also expressed disappointment over the current strategy of media in both countries, which he said reflects the history of hostility among both neighbours.

It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan Senate’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, a few months ago, had recommended a ban on all Indian channels being aired by cable operators across the country.

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Tariq Azeem had asked the government to immediately ban the Indian TV channels from being aired in Pakistan, amidst rising tension between both the countries.

Azeem said that the Indian government has banned the books of Pakistani authors from being sold in India, so Pakistan should also give a reply to the Indian stance by slapping a ban on the T.V. channels.

The committee members had also recommended that screening of Bollywood movies by cable operators, and in theaters, should be stopped immediately. (ANI)