The BBC said on Thursday it will expand shortwave radio news coverage in Kashmir to ease the impact of a communications blackout imposed by the Indian government.
The British broadcaster’s announcement came after New Delhi scrapped an article of the Indian constitution granting special status to Indian-held Kashmir (IHK).
Occupied Kashmir has been under lockdown since the day before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the change on August 5.
The BBC said the number and length of programmes will grow in a variety of languages spoken in the densely populated region of IHK.
“Given the shutdown of digital services and phone lines in the region, its right for us to try and increase the provision of news on our shortwave radio services,” BBC World Service Director Jamie Angus said in a statement.
“The provision of independent and trusted news in places of conflict and tension is one of the core purposes of the World Service.”
The BBC said its News Hindi radio output will be extended by 30 minutes from Friday.
News Urdu – the official language of Pakistan spoken by Muslims who comprise the majority in occupied Kashmir – will launch a 15-minute daily programme on Monday.
The World Service added that its English morning broadcasts will end an hour later than usual. The evening English-language news will start an hour earlier and end at their usual time.
The BBC said India is now its radio service’s largest market – picked up by 50 million people a week. Shortwave transmissions travel thousands of miles and are able to bounce over mountains that dominate the region.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has prohibited the broadcast of advertisements produced in India or featuring Indian actors and characters, it emerged on Thursday.
In a communiqué sent to all of its television and radio licensees, dated August 14, the authority recalled that it withdrew the permission for airing Indian channels and content on the directions of the Supreme Court in October last year.
“However, it has been observed that advertisements of various products of multinationals which are either produced in India or carrying Indian characters/talents [are] being aired on electronic media,” said the letter shared on PEMRA’s official Twitter account.
The letter noted that the government had announced to celebrate this year’s Independence Day in solidarity with Kashmiris in the wake of escalation in tensions between the two countries over the Kashmir issue.
However, the airing at the same time of advertisements produced in India and carrying Indian talent on Pakistani media was tantamount to “negating the state policy”, the authority said.
It also observed that the appearance of Indian characters on Pakistani TV screens “aggravates miseries of Pakistanis who are perturbed over Indian atrocities on Kashmiri brethren”. In view of the above, PEMRA banned the broadcast of all advertisements featuring Indian talent with immediate effect by invoking Section 27(a) of the PEMRA Ordinance 2002. According to the letter, the ban will remain in place till the time the advertisements are replaced by those produced in Pakistan and featuring Pakistani actors and talent.
