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Life after the ban
With the ban on Indian channels, beamed by the cable operators under the licence of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the government swung a swift surprise for all and sundry. The immediate reaction of the viewers was as if a very important toy had been taken away from them.
Cable operators who cater to the needs of around 80 per cent of viewers in the urban areas, say that families, especially ladies who were quite addicted to Indian drama serials, films and music channels as their prime leisure source, were the main victims of the ban.
The government’s decision to stop around 800 cable operators from airing Indian channels such as Zee and Star was a blow to the public. Many today, especially housewives, miss Indian drama serials such as Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi, Kussum, Kahani ghar ghar ki, etc., that had of late become a topic to chat about among the fairer sex.
The government’s decision to stop around 800 cable operators from airing Indian channels such as Zee and Star was a blow to the public
Most feel that amidst the politics of the state and their respective governments’, they have been penalized for their entertainment options.
The viewing audience feels that with dull local channels in our midst, the Indian satellite channels were a prime source of upbeat entertainment. Furthermore, the video channel operated by the cable operators was also an outlet to kill time.
“With K3G (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum), the last Indian hit (read flop) before the ban went into force, it’s all ghum hi ghum,” observed a lady at a video outlet.
The ban on Indian satellite channels has brought, on the other hand a boom for the Pakistani private channels. The Indus Vision, Indus Music, ARY, Anjuman as well as PTV and STN have recaptured their ‘lost’ audience. A survey revealed that a majority of people feel content with the production and presentation of the private Pakistani channels, but say that professionalism is not yet up to mark. Never-the-less, they believe that it is a healthy alternate to the sometimes too open Indian presentations.
Muhammad Wasi, a cable operator in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, says that the ban on beaming Zee and Star channels has brought a financial crunch on them. Many cable subscribers have opted out of the network and prefer renting Indian video films.
Sultan Khan at the Rainbow Centre, the hub of Indian and English video cassettes sales, emphasized that the ban on satellite channels has brought big business for them. Over the years there had been a decline in viewing rented video films by the people because the cable operators were prompt to show all the new releases free of cost.
Many question the sagacity of the government in banning entertainment pieces rather than restricting it to propaganda- oriented news channels. They argue that if the ban was intended against Indian culture and influence, than why not also do away with the video proliferation. Of late, with the ban on Indian satellite channels taking its toll on their income, the cable operators have started showing Indian films on their networks. Similarly, sports channels of the banned entities are also back for viewing.
On the other hand, despite a ban on Indian stuff, several channels such as Dubai-based Anjuman and a few others, beam Indian music albums.
With a hard choice to surf these days, people complain that the cable operators have not made adequate arrangements to compensate for the loss of Indian channels by bringing other countries’ channels for entertainment. The passion to view Indian stuff has compelled many even to buy a decoder and relevant scratch cards thus throwing out big bucks!
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