KARACHI: Pakistan has been astonished and annoyed by the distinctive partisan role being played by the British Broadcasting Corporation in its coverage of the current happenings in Rann of Kutch. They have noted with resentment that almost all BBC broadcasts on the issue during the past fortnight have betrayed a definite bias in favour of India and against Pakistan. While the bellicose statements of Mr Shastri, Sardar Swaran Singh and other Indian leaders — and even the Hindu Mahasabha resolutions calling for a full fledged war against Pakistan — have received generous attention in these broadcasts, the categorical denials and other important statements issued by Pakistani spokesmen have been treated in an indifferent and noticeably casual manner.

It is pointed out that though the Delhi-based BBC correspondent is also accredited to Pakistan, he has not bothered to pay even a single visit to the latter country since the Rann trouble began, or made any attempt to obtain the Pakistani version.

[Meanwhile, as reported by our correspondent from Teheran], Iran’s whole-hearted support for Pakistan in the conflict over Rann of Kutch was reaffirmed by both her Prime Minister Mr Amir Abbas Hoveyda and her Foreign Minister, Mr Abbas Aram in exclusive interviews given to this correspondent.

While Premier Hoveyda told me that Iran favoured the solution of Rann of Kutch and other Indo-Pak disputes in the “best interests of Pakistan”, Mr Aram declared in unmistakable terms that “Pakistan can rely on us for support”.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2015

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