PEMRA directs Pak FM station to stop airing BBC news bulletins

A local radio FM station has stopped broadcasting hourly news bulletins of BBC Radio on the instructions of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).

Karachi, July 1 : A local radio FM station has stopped broadcasting hourly news bulletins of BBC Radio on the instructions of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).

PEMRA in a letter to the FM 103 management said: "You are hereby directed to immediately stop the broadcast of all sorts of BBC content/programmes failing which PEMRA shall be constrained to take appropriate legal action against you."

Anis Mansoori, head of news and current affairs at FM 103, told the Daily Times that the station stopped transmission after the PEMRA letter warned it would shut down the station and seize its equipment if BBC broadcasts were not stopped.

The BBC Pakistan Editor, Aamer Ahmed Khan, said in a statement that the BBC was fulfilling all PEMRA requirements for transmission and FM 103 supported his claim.

However, PEMRA spokesman Muhammad Saleem said they had disallowed FM 103 from airing news from any organisation whose editorial policy was controlled in a foreign country.

ANI