| NEW
DELHI: The International Federation of Journalists has asked the Indian Government
to clarify its stand with regard to restrictions on receiving Pakistani television
channels in India. However,
the IFJ has expressed satisfaction that the dispute over a putative ban on Pakistani
television channels broadcasting into Jammu and Kashmir in India has been resolved
for now. But
IFJ Asia -Pacific Director Jacqueline Park wanted clarifications in view of what
“seemed to be a ban to much of the world.” The
restrictions snowballed into a political controversy as cable television operators
retaliated by blocking all Indian and international channels in the Kashmir valley
on 25 April. IFJ noted that even political authorities in Jammu and Kashmir distanced
themselves from the restrictions.
The Information and Broadcasting ministry
had held that local authorities were responsible for enforcement of the cable
TV regulatory regime, but had admitted that advisories had been issued to curb
the broadcast of “unauthorised” channels.
These were reportedly
sent to the Jammu and Kashmir state government and the states of Uttar Pradesh
and Maharashtra.
The head of the association of cable TV operators in
Jammu and Kashmir challenged this explanation and said the “ban” on
Pakistani channels was decreed exclusively for the Kashmir valley. Operators in
the Jammu region, a distinct cultural zone within the same state, were spared
the rigours of its enforcement.
The Indian Government says all channels
downlinked into India need to be registered in accordance with cable TV regulatory
law. The Pakistani channels in question have reportedly disregarded requests to
register accordingly.
IFJ said the uncertainties in the Indian broadcast
law are evident in the different dates that have been given for the entry into
force of the registration requirement. Some accounts date it from November 2005
and some others from May 2006.
The IFJ also said registration of broadcast
channels in India is a far from transparent process. The Al Jazeera English service,
for instance, has been waiting since January 2007 for registration under the Cable
Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995.
The Pakistan Federal Union
of Journalists, an IFJ affiliate, has deplored the restrictions on broadcast signals
in Jammu and Kashmir. “We believe that any entity broadcasting into the jurisdiction
of a government other than the one to which it is directly accountable should
be liable under the laws of that country. But we also believe that there are no
grounds for prior restraints on the right to free speech,” said Ms Park.
“If a ban was indeed decreed, then the media community needs to know
who initiated it and who was tasked with enforcing it”.
“We
urge India’s Government to clarify the circumstances under which it decreed
the recent controls on cable operators in Kashmir. The free exchange of ideas
through responsible media organisations can only be a favourable circumstance
for mitigating political disputes that have simmered for generations”, she
said. | 
