By Muhammad Najeeb
Islamabad(IANS) : In an unprecedented move, the Pakistan government has started cracking down on shops selling dish antennas and digital receivers after information-starved people started queuing up following the diktat ordering news channels off the air.
“Five shops in nearby Rawalpindi have been closed for selling dish antennas and digital receivers,” a shop owner in Islamabad told IANS.
He said he had also closed his shop fearing “permanent” closure by the authorities.
A Geo Television report said the local administration in Karachi was removing dish antennas from commercial buildings. “So far they haven’t started removing from homes,” the report said.
People started buying dish antennas after the government ordered cable operators to take all news channels – national and international – off the air.
As of now, only state-run Pakistan television is available through cable in the country. People depend on hearsay and mobile phone messages for information. All sorts of rumours are doing the rounds in Pakistan, where emergency was imposed Saturday.
Leading Pakistani news channels like Geo, AAJ, DawnNews and some others have started transmission through websites. These channels can be viewed on their respective websites while some just give audio feeds.
Due to heavy traffic, Geo has launched a lighter version of its website and continues to transmit.
“The government is also contemplating looking into websites that give material against the state,” afternoon newspaper Al-Akhbar quoted an unnamed official as saying.