The Jammu and Kashmir home department has warned local cable operators that it will penalise them if they fail to block more than 30 banned channels within three days, PTI reported on Wednesday. Some of the channels are broadcast from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Srinagar’s Additional district magistrate issued the order. “You are hereby directed to immediately stop telecasting/transmitting non-permitted TV channels/ banned private satellite channels within a period of three days,” the news agency reported, quoting from the order.
Cable operators have also been asked to furnish a notarised affidavit to prove that they have complied with the decree.
The channels that are said to have been banned are: Peace TV (Urdu and English), ARY QTV, Madni Channel, Noor TV, Hadi TV, Paigam, Hidayat, Saudi Al-Sunnah Al-Nabawiyah, Saudi-Al-Quran Al-Karim, Sehar, Karbala TV, Ahli-biat TV, Message TV, Hum TV, ARY Digital Asia, Hum Sitaray, ARY Zindagi, PTV Sports, ARY Musik, TV One, ARY Masala, ARY Zauq, A TV, Geo News, ARY News Asia, Abb Takk News, Waseb TV, 92 News, Duniya News, Samna News, Geo Tez, Express News and ARY News. Peace TV is run by controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik.
In May, the Mehbooba Mufti government issued a notice to deputy commissioners of police, asking them to stop the transmission of 34 television channels. The state government had then said the channels might incite violence and pointed out the Information and Broadcasting Ministry had also banned them.
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