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| November 30, 2006 | Thursday | Ziqa'ad 8, 1427 |
Cable TV: obscenity complaints highest in NWFP
ISLAMABAD, Nov 29: The percentage of complaints against obscenity on the cable television channels is highest in NWFP, says a report of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra).
“Cable television operators in the NWFP run more x-rated programmes than that in the federal capital which is often ridiculed by the religio-political leaders and clerics as the land of obscenity,” reveals the report.
Pemra’s councils of complaints established in the provincial capitals and Islamabad, comprising eminent citizens and community leaders, received a total of 5,130 complaints from January 2003 to June 2006, half of which were related to poor reception.
However, obscenity and pornography made the next bigger chunk of complaints.
In the NWFP, the percentage ratio of obscenity related complaints was higher than that in Islamabad, where most of the complaints (1,200) were related to the poor quality reception.
Only in Peshawar, the council received 183 complaints against pornography and obscene programmes on cable television that is more that half of the total 311 complaints received about the poor quality of reception.
The report says Pemra’s enforcement staff at Islamabad and regional offices in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta conducted 10,846 surprise visits during the last three years.
In Sindh and Punjab, the ratio of obscenity related complaints was almost equal to those related to the poor quality of reception.
Cable operators are facing tough restrictions in Islamabad and Rawalpindi compared to other main cities and some small cities like D.I. Khan, etc.
Pemra’s code requires cable operators to provide two religious channels, 11 news channels, nine educational and information channels, six kids entertainment channels, six sports and 15 entertainment channels.—Our Reporter
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