Should Pakistan lift the ban on Indian TV channels?

Arts & Culture Culture, Arts, Literature & Linguistics
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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Spock: *

Your plenty of Pakistanis includes just one category of people in Pakistan, probably the middle classed people, starved for entertainment, and most of these include people who do not like/understand western programming and vouch for Indian programming.

*looks to me as if your anger is really directed at this vocal category of people who are undermining your attempts to eradicate Indian channels. *

If this ban wasnt in place, we probably wouldnt have channels like IM, Indus etc right now. And those of you who cant get enough of stupid indian soap operas like 'Tara', 'Kabhi Saas Bhi Bahoo' thi, nearing their 1000 episodes, get a life!

** I don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what you're saying - if channels like indus weren't good enough to withstand Indian competition then it is tantamount to force feeding people lesser fare. Is that what you call 'getting a life?' Wow. Even I didn't know Tara is a serial. **

Oh, and you said the need for a ban does not exist. Well buddy, apparently you do not know why the ban was imposed in the first place, do your reading. It was enforced to cut off channels which had news broadcasts from India, for instance Star Tv, Zee Tv etc.

** excuses, excuses.**

Its easy to live abroad and present made up facts, but then again, living in Pakistan and knowing the truth is much more simpler.

**These 'made up facts' have been reported in the Pakistani media. Are you calling Dawn a liar? Or stupid to not see the truth?

FYI I couldn't care less if Pakistan banned all channels and forced the citizens to read books by candlelight. But you should. This is not about scoring over India, it's about the freedom of choice.**

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Cable’s ‘bad boys’?
by Asghar Butt
As a patriotic Pakistani I could easily see the merits in the government’s argument that our cable operators should only feed those TV channels to their subscribers which are pro-Pakistan and shun those which are anti-Pakistan. As to what is anti-Pakistan is to be decided by a government body called Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and not by any Tom, Dick and Harry in which category some of the ‘bad boys’ of the cable operators fall. A perfectly sensible arrangement with which I fully agree. Although I do not have access to PEMRA’s definition of what is anti-Pakistan, I take it that any TV Programme which hurts the sensibilities of the Pakistani masses, such as the coverage of attack on Iraq, should be deemed as anti-Pakistan. In other words, a programme which may not have shown anything reflecting hatred or dislike for Pakistan should still be banned by PEMRA if it hurts the values that we cherish. In this category would fall many programmes broadcasts by the English language channels. I hope PEMRA would also seriously consider banning all these channels which show men and women wearing unIslamic dresses and behaving in a manner that is less than modest by our standards.
Having said that I thought it would be against journalistic ethics not to listen to the other side of the story. So I requested a friend to interview for me a cable operator who has been on strike against the PEMRA directive against the Indian channels. Why the Indian channels alone, and why not many others which, though not anti-Pakistan per se, are far worse offenders on other counts? The answer to that being that India is an enemy country, others are not. Anyway the report that I got from my friend is as follows.
‘The cable operator that I interviewed had been on strike but was not willing to be interviewed because a compromise between the Cable Operators’ association and PEMRA having been reached the strike had ended and he did not want to be identified as a supporter of the Indian channels. But when I promised not to reveal his identity he opened up by saying, ‘India may be an enemy country and it may be blaming Pakistan all the time for its troubles in Kashmir, but is it not a fact that we are seeking peace with India.
Our Prime Minister has repeatedly said that if India takes one step towards normalisation of relations we will take ten steps. When the Indian delegations come to Pakistan they are feted by the high and the low. Their pictures are shown and their views are broadcast. Indian news and their radio broadcasts are listened to daily all over Pakistan. Even their TV channels are available to all those who have installed decoders on their sets. So why punish the poor cable operators, who only try to provide something that is already available in the market both through telecasts and video cassettes.’
I said that the reason may be that the government didn’t mind the financially-well-off watching the Indian channels and not the non-affluent. Because the richer people were more patriotic and could resist the Indian propaganda but the not-so-rich being less patriotic would fall a prey to it. ‘You have a point there’, he replied, ‘It comes under the mischief of the basic law of equal opportunities for all. But had we pursued that line it would have taken us into a long-drawn out legal battle with the government on the one hand and on the other inflicted huge financial losses on us’. ‘But you did accept the government’s view in the end’, I said, ‘didn’t you’? ‘Yes we did’, he replied, ‘The PEMRA chap argued that India is actually trying to undermine our national pride by showing us TV productions of a much higher quality. There was a time when the productions of the Pakistan TV were watched and admired in many parts of India. The Indians hardly ever watched their own Door Darshan. But when India changed its policy and allowed private channels to come in, many investors with huge resources, including Sony, Zee, etc, came in. In the meantime PTV stopped its own productions and started buying relatively cheap and often ill-produced programmes from the market. That is why for sheer entertainment people here tune in to India. Now some private Pakistani channels too have come in but none with the kind of resources that the Indians have. The same is the case with our cinema. After banning the Indian movies we had hoped that our cinema would prosper. It did not. Indian movies came back via the video tapes and discs. In most Pakistani homes Indian movies are being watched daily. We may reach a point where some in Pakistan may start asking what is wrong in being an Indian? We can stop the Indian army on our borders but can we stop Ashwaria Rai with all her charm, from invading our homes, except through banning her?’

http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/Sep-2003/15/EDITOR/op2.asp

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there's nothing anyone can do. If people want Indian programs they'll find a way to get it. May be a really strong military govt can stop that with guns and cannons but the present musharaf regime does not have the ability to enforce a ban. The result is what you're seeing.

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[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by TomSawyer: *
there's nothing anyone can do.

[/QUOTE]

we've already done it. All bhindian channels are banned and apparently you and others like you can feel free to whine all you want. :D

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Gohan, What’s wrong, are you telling that your own newspapers are fabricating stories ?,I dont care if the Indian channels in Pakistan are banned or not. It seems to me that it’s a big issue for you and that’s why you are in denial. Here is a report from Yahoo News (I know you will deny that one too) which confirms what Durango has posted :-

Friday September 12, 2:50 PM

Pak cable operators showing banned Indian channels

Lahore, Sept.12 (ANI): Cable operators in Pakistan have defiantly taken on the government and are reported to be showing banned Indian television channels, movies and CDs with impunity.

Channels like Star Plus, Star Gold, Punjabi dances, CDs and Indian movies are being screened on the cable network, mostly at night, and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has failed to inhibit their broadcast.

Cable operators have admitted to showing the Indian soaps and movies after 10:00 p.m. citing viewer demand.

“This (violation) is due to the pressure on the PEMRA by the cable operators, and it may be a part of undeclared deal between the government and the cable operators,” PEMRA sources claimed.

The channels, movies and CDs are being played round the clock in Iqbal Town, Model Town, Township, Gulberg, Defence, Ichraa and Band Road areas, The Nation reported.

"Everyone knows they are showing the channels and movies, but nobody can dare take any action against them due to their connections with high-ups":hehe:, one cable operator alleged.

“We cannot ignore public demand. :hehe::hehe: So, we have no option but to show the Star Plus and Indian movies to save our business. Operators who do not want to show the banned items have been asked to and are being pressurised to do so by their viewers,” he added.

“The government had allowed the cable operators to show the Star Plus channel, Indian movies and dance CDs on cable during the wee hours to provide entertainment to their viewers”, some informed sources claimed.

A Cable Operators Association representative, however, said that their group is not violating the rules, and was awaiting permission for showing CDs on cable. The process of legislation is under way, he added. (ANI)

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but still you replied in this thread like the other bhindian losers. :rotfl::mocking:

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^ Whatever, but it’s a fact thet you are in denial like many PORKISTANI Losers. :rotfl::rotfl: and the Indian Channels are being shown in Porkistan. :hehe:

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You know why? Cause I’m going to throw a party when our new channels, especially made for Pakistan, are sent across! This is our proxy war!! :nuch:

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Gandou banyay ki pouri phat gai :rotfl: :rotfl:

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You know folks.. this name-calling has to end. Those who indulge in it are obviously not getting the message here. If you do it one more time on GUPSHUP, then you should also find some other forum to take your crap, bcz this one will revoke your posting privileges.

And the above message is the same for those who start it, and those who return the favor. A small PM to the mod will do the trick in most cases.

I hope this is very clear. If not, you will just have to learn it the hard way.