* Kaira says Pakistani channels should also be broadcast across the border

By Iftikhar Gilani

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will allow broadcasting of Indian TV channels if they approach the government through proper channels while Pakistani TV channels should also be telecast in India, Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Thursday.

The minister made these remarks while meeting an Indian media delegation. Kaira said allowing the broadcasting of each other’s TV channels should be a part of the diplomatic exchanges between the two countries. The minister told the delegation that Pakistan had a soft policy under which the government did not object to the broadcasting of Indian channels in Pakistan.

He said the cable operators were already telecasting Indian drama serials and soap operas but the government did not take any action despite it being an illegal activity. Kaira told the delegation that Pakistan had no specific objections to the broadcasting of Indian channels in Pakistan. “Our policy is that even if Indian channels are shown here without licence, we ignore it,” the minister said.

Kaira asked the delegation to help create a better public opinion on both sides of the border. “The media is also reflecting the history of hostility,” he regretted.
Source: Daily Times
Date:4/23/2010