By EuAsiaNews,
Brussels : The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said Saturday it was pleased to note that a dispute arising from a putative ban on Pakistani television channels broadcasting into Jammu and Kashmir in India has been resolved for now.
“We nevertheless urge India’s Government to explain the circumstances under which it decreed what seemed a ban to much of the world,” said IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park in a statement.
” We urge India’s Government to clarify the circumstances under which it decreed the recent controls on cable operators in Kashmir. The free exchange of ideas through responsible media organisations can only be a favourable circumstance for mitigating political disputes that have simmered for generations,” added Park.
The restrictions snowballed into a political controversy as cable television operators retaliated by blocking all Indian and international channels in the Kashmir valley on April 25, said the world’s largest journalists’ group.
India’s government has said that all channels that broadcast into Indian territory need to be registered in accordance with cable TV regulatory law. The Pakistani channels in question have reportedly disregarded requests to register accordingly.
The press body said uncertainties in the Indian broadcast law are evident in the different dates that have been given for the entry into force of the registration requirement. Some accounts date it from November 2005 and some others from May 2006.
The IFJ said that it is also informed that the registration of broadcast channels in India is a far from transparent process. The Al Jazeera English service, for instance, has been waiting since January 2007 for registration under India’s cable TV law.
The Brussels-based IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries.