Pakistani TV channel seeks nod to downlink in India

NEW DELHI: The government has for the first time received an application from a Pakistani television channel for down-linking in India.

The Lahore-based channel?s application is amongst the 165 proposals that are under various stages of inter-ministerial clearances, I&B Ministry sources told Indiantelevision.com.

The sources, however, did not disclose the name of the Pakistani television channel which has sought permission to downlink in India.

The Pakistani television channel?s application has been received amid efforts by the Pakistan government to convince India to allow television channels from across the border to be carried in India. During his visit to India in July, Pakistan foreign secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani had made a strong pitch for India to allow transmission of Pakistani channels including PTV in India.

India banned carrying of Pakistani channels about 10 years ago. Jilani had argued that Indian television channels are allowed to be transmitted in Pakistan without restrictions and hence, India should reciprocate, according to media reports then.

Any proposal received from a foreign channel which is up-linked from a foreign country is sent for inter-ministerial clearances, including the department of revenue, the department of space and the home and external affairs ministries. After the clearance is received, the company has to comply with the down-linking guidelines of the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry.

The proposal from the Pakistani channel is under the consideration of other ministries, I&B Ministry sources said.

The government has permitted a total of 410 news and current affairs and 438 non-news and non-current affairs television channels in the country so far.

While 36 television channels including nine news channels were permitted in 2012, the number in 2011 was much higher at 224 including 117 news channels. A total of 98 channels including 40 news channels were permitted in 2010, and 80 including 34 news channels were allowed in 2009, the sources said.