Islamabad: The chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Tuesday recommended the removal of all Indian content from Pakistani TV channels
Participating in a debate titled “A debate of Foreign Contents on Pakistani Entertainment Channels,” Absar Alam said India did not allow Pakistani content on its TV channels and Islamabad should give a matching response by banning the airing of Indian content on its own channels.
In this connection, he said, a summary had been sent to the federal government in which it is clearly recommended that transmission of Indian channels and content should be linked subject to permission of airing Pakistani content by India.
The adoption of these recommendations would do away with the policy introduced during the era of General Pervez Musharraf and promote Pakistani media, he said.
The airing of Indian content was allowed by government of Shaukat Aziz and only the federal government can take a decision on it.
Until the annulment of this decision, television channels, FM radios and cable operators will be restricted to broadcast at most six per cent of their programming as Indian content.
But PEMRA has decided to immediately close channels airing foreign content after October 15, that too without giving any showcase notice, he said adding that an awareness campaign would soon be launched on media against airing foreign contents on TV channels.
Responding to a question, he said PEMRA was in contact with all federal and provincial governments and is determined to make the campaign of banning Indian Direct to Home (DTH) successful and effective.
