PESHAWAR: Cable operators of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday appealed to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (Pemra) to cancel the auction of Direct to Home (DTH) licence and postpone launch of the service for three years.

They also appealed to Pemra to take stern action against those who were providing illegal services and operating Indian TV and C-Line in the province. They urged the authorities concerned to remove the Indian TV channels from all kinds of sources.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club, Cable Operators Federation of Pakistan coordinator Ali Raza Khan said that the operators would raise voice at every forum and stage demonstrations for their rights. He said that Pemra would auction the DTH licence on Nov 23, which, he added, would affect thousands of cable operators across Pakistan.

“We have been associated with the business since 2000 and successfully operated the cable system in Pakistan. We first operated analogue cable system and then started operating the digital cable system. We have invested billions of rupees in this system, but now the authorities concerned are about to launch the DTH system,” Ali Raza said.

Flanked by cable operators belonging to various parts of KP, including Imran Nabi, Adil Sardar, Shakirullah, Saqib, Nadir Khan, Babar Khan and others, he urged the government to accept their demands.

“Nearly 14,000 people having legal licences across the country are operating cable system. Of the 200 cable operators working in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 45 are delivering their services in Peshawar. He said that the sale of Dish TV and C-Line had already increased in Pakistan.

Ali Raza appealed to the chief of army staff to order operation against the illegal sale of Dish TV and C-Line and those spreading negative propaganda against Pakistan.

“We have met the Pemra authorities to find out a solution to the issue, but to no avail,” he lamented.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2016