Pakistan cracks down on cable operators

Pakistan's media regulator has launched a crackdown on companies airing Indian television channels and content, officials said yesterday, after an escalation of violence in the disputed Kashmir region between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

"Given the recent tensions between India and Pakistan, the public is demanding that Indian channels and sitcoms be completely banned," a spokesman for Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said.

Pakistani law only allows 86 minutes of Indian content to be aired by a channel daily, but entertainment channels and cable operators routinely flout the rules as Indian films and soap operas are so popular.

The sale of Indian direct-to-home service is also forbidden but common in Pakistan.

The authority said in a statement dated on Tuesday, it had given its chairman the authority to revoke or suspend the license of any company that aired illegal Indian channels or Indian content "without providing show cause notice and without giving the opportunity to respond".

"After Oct 15, action will be taken against all violators without discrimination," it said.