The civil administration in Jammu has issued a notification banning some Islamic channels, triggering protests by Muslim groups and political parties.
Among the channels that cable operators have been told to stop airing are four popular ones like Peace TV (Dubai), Quran TV, Hadi TV and Noor TV. The others are Pakistani channels ARY, PTV Home, PTV World, Geo TV, Dawn, Express, Waqt and Aaj.
The notification came barely a week after the Centre imposed an SMS ban in Jammu and Kashmir citing security concerns, only to withdraw it within hours. The SMS goof came three months after the Centre restored prepaid mobile services, banned on security grounds last November.
District magistrate M.K. Dwivedi issued the notification a couple of days back after the administration invoked the Cable TV Network (Regulation) Act, 1995. Official sources said notices served to the cable operators asked them to immediately stop the telecast of these 12 channels, which have been listed as illegal, and submit compliance reports within two days.
Jammu divisional commissioner Pawan Kotwal said the instruction had come from the ministry of information and broadcasting. �Such instructions have in fact come to all the district commissioners,� he said. He, however, played down the ban, saying cable operators had just got showcause notices. �Peace TV and Quran TV are very popular, the problem is they have got clubbed with other channels,� he said.
But the decision is already taking political overtones.
Anjumani Imamia general secretary Syed Fida Hussain said Islamic channels had been singled out. �There are so many channels like Baba Ram Dev�s channel, Bapu Asaram�s channel, Sahab Bandigi and Jain TV which cater to the needs of other communities, but there is no ban on them,� he said.