PBC jams VOA Pashto service

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) has blocked Voice of America’s (VOA) 4-hour Pashto language programme on the latter’s alleged deviation from agreement.
However, the US state-owned radio service continues to avail Radio Pakistan’s hour-long airtime for its Urdu transmission daily. “Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) has blocked four hours Pashto transmission of VOA, while the Urdu service is still continuing,” official sources informed TheNation.
Under the agreement, VOA was allowed to broadcast its 30-minute Urdu programme in the morning transmission (6 am) and another programme in the evening (6 pm) from FM-93 network and other networks, besides a 4-hour programme in Pashto from Radio Peshawar.
According to deals, VOA would have to use PBC equipment and transmitters in Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore to air its transmission in Pashto and Urdu on Medium and FM waves. It was further learnt that ISPR also had held meetings with the PBC higher administration prior to the jamming of four-hour Pashto transmission.
The sources said that the government earlier conveyed its concerns to VOA about some deviation from the agreement in the four-hour Pashto transmission services.
“The programme has not been revived till then,” said the sources. In Urdu service, the VOA programme ‘Aap ki Dunya’ is aired in the morning transmission and almost same kind of programme is broadcast in the evening. It is pertinent to mention here that in 2004 under the Musharraf regime VOA programmes were allowed to be broadcast from FM-101 network of PBC for two hours daily from eight stations. These broadcasts were allowed without clearance and approval by any Ministry or government agency.