SRI NAGAR:The Governor’s administration in Jammu and Kashmir has banned the telecast of at least 30 Pakistani and Islamic channels in the Valley for ‘maintaining peace and tranquility’ in the region.
Additional District Commissioner, Srinagar, in an order directed all heads of cable operators in Srinagar to stop telecasting and transmitting unpermitted and banned private satellite channels in Srinagar district.
The cable operators said they had been directed to stop telecasting 30 channels, including Geo TV, ARY, Q TV, Saudi Quran, Saudi, Hadi, Karbala, Paigam, Peace TV Urdu, Haadi, Noor, Sehar, Madani, Saudi Sunah and others.
Firebrand independent MLA Er Sheikh Abdur Rashid termed the ban as an “attack on freedom of expression and ample proof that government is short of ideas as to how to deal with the situation”.
He said security agencies were seeing developments through the prism of law and order, forgetting that their measures had yielded nothing except making people more alienated. “If government is truly concerned about hatred being spread by electronic media, then one has a right to ask the administration why doesn’t it ban the national TV channels, which spread venom against Kashmiris and create communal divide every evening,”added Rashid.