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| Authorities failed to put the case in right perspective | | Resentment in Kashmir over ban on airing some Pak channels | | Early Times Special Correspondent
Jammu | Apr 26
News Analysis
The separatists and their friends in the mainstream political parties, who never miss an opportunity of India bashing, have this time been provided on a silver platter an handle to beat the Indian government with charge it of intolerance of dissent and obstructionist tactics in free access to information by the Kashmiris. The order by the District Magistrate Srinagar Aijaz Iqbal imposing ban on airing of four Pakistani channels by the cable operators in Kashmir, has assumed a sharp controversy and is being blown all out of proportion by the separatist and some mainstream politicians alike.
According to the District Magistrate Srinagar, he has passed on the orders asking the cable operators not to air four television channels of Pakistan, namely PTV, ARY, Aaj and Geo, on the instructions of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, government of India, on ground of these TV channels having not got themselves registered with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which is mandatory.
Reacting sharply to the restriction imposed on airing of Pak TV Channels, the cable operators in Kashmir have decided to suspend airing of all Indian TV channels. Terming the action of blocking Pakistani TV channels as "cultural aggression" the Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umer Farooq has said that this betrays frustration on the part of Indian government and the huge brage of democracy always fails on the soil of Jammu and Kashmir. This is part of the psychological operations which is being exercised in Kashmir. Indian government wants to sway the perception of the common people by making them addict to watch obscene television programs run by India, the Mirwaiz added. Although QTV channel of Pakistan, which is a religious channel, has not been banned, yet expressing apprehension of this religious channel also being banned by the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting , the Mirwaiz alleged attempt at hurting the religious sentiments of the Muslims of Kashmir by denying them access to the Islamic religious channel and remarked that Kashmir has close religious and cultural links with Pakistan and it is unethical to ban all the Pakistani TV channel.
Commenting on this issue the senior Hurriyat (G) leader Ashraf Sehrai said "we can see how much India is concerned towards the Kashmiris who are struggling to get freedom from Indian occupation". This is an eye opener for the pro Indian leaders that how the Indian government has snatched the right to information from the Kashmiri people. India is keeping Kashmiris away from the concept of Global village and it is another indication of naked cultural aggression, he added.
Joining course with the separatists in lodging protest against the action, the PDP President Mebooba Mufti termed the order of IB ministry as biased. She said this is very unfortunate. Nowhere in the country has IB ministry banned Pakistani TV channels. Somebody is trying to infringe the rights of media and the Chief Minister must take this issue with the government of India, Mehbooba siad.
On the other hand sources in the information and broadcasting ministry government of India describe the whole fuss being created in the Kashmir valley as 'much ado about nothing'. Stating that registration with the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is mandatory for all the nationals as well as foreign channels for being aired in any part of the country, the channels whose airing has been banned have failed to get themselves registered, even after repeated notices served to them. In case they get themselves registered with the Indian information ministry, they will be free to air their programs through cable operators and dish tv etc.
The independent observers of the entire scenario believe that the government of India and in turn the state government has miserably failed to project their view point and put the entire issue in right prospective, providing an opportunity to the separatists in Kashmir to exploit the situation and build anti India hysteria, extenuating the alienation of Kashmiris from the Indian mainstream. |
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