Pak regulator to penalise illegal airing of Indian channels

From Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Sep 1 (PTI) Pakistan’s electronic mediawatchdog today warned of a crackdown on local channelsillegally airing contents from Indian channels and imposed acap of less than 6 per cent of air-time to telecast Indiantelevision channels. The decision was prompted by complaints from the differentTV owners and common citizens, according to an official ofPakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra). Pemra chief Absar Alam said that strict action will betaken against all those TV Channels which have beencontinually violating the code of conduct. "Only the TV channels having permission and license cantelecast foreign content. Pakistani TV channels can utiliseless than 6 per cent of air time to telecast Indian TVcontents from October 15, 2016," he said. He gave 45 day deadline to those showing Indian contentsillegally and said that any violation will be punished afterthe deadline. "I urge the people to stop using illegal Indian dishes asit is in utter violation of the law and against the nationalinterest," he said. He said Pemra would get help from other departments tocheck the violation of the law regarding using foreign TVcontents. Indian films, dramas and reality shows are highly popularand keenly watched in Pakistan. PTI SH SUA AKJSUA