A Pakistani parliamentary panel Monday urged the government of Yusuf Raza Gilani to ban Indian television channels beamed by cable networks following restrictions on Pakistani channels in the neighboring country, media reports said.
The Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting in the Senate or upper house of Parliament reiterated an earlier recommendation for banning Indian channels if the neighboring country did not ease restrictions on Pakistani channels.
The panel said cable operators beam nearly all top Indian entertainment channels, which are very popular with viewers despite restrictions on them being shown in cinema halls.
Though the Pakistani cable operators air no Indian news channels, Islamabad last year eased a 43-year-old ban on the screening of Indian films in theaters by allowing the import of a limited number of Bollywood productions.
A Senator of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Qaid (PML-Q) said that besides the entertainment channels, cable networks were also screening Indian movies and this should be stopped immediately.
However, a Senator of the Awami National Party, which is part of the Pakistan People's Party-led ruling coalition, differed with the other members when he said free flow of information is necessary in the modern age. A ban on Indian channels would deprive the country of knowing "what actually they were propagating against Pakistan," he said.
The chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), which had established a special cell in Islamabad to monitor the content of broadcast media and satellite channels round the clock, told the committee that his organization believes in 'complete freedom of expression' and prefers the self-regulation and monitoring of television programs and advertisements.
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