The United States has asked Pakistan to retract the ban placed on Radio Mashaal, a Pashto language broadcaster linked to the US-funded Radio Free Europe, BBC Urdu reported on Friday.
Radio Mashaal was shut down by the interior ministry on the on recommendations of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
According to BBC Urdu, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a press briefing on Thursday that her country does not understand why Pakistan has placed a ban on Radio Mashal which is run by Radio Free Europe (RFE).
The United States has "expressed concern" over Pakistan's decision to discontinue Radio Mashaal's services and has "demanded that the transmission be restored immediately," BBC Urdu said.
Meanwhile, RFE also expressed concern on Friday that "members of Radio Mashaal are facing pressure by authorities following the closure of the Pashto-language service's Islamabad office on ISI's orders last week."
According to a press release from RFE, President Thomas Kent said there were indications that authorities were seeking to compel Radio Mashal staffers to make forced statements against the news organisation.
A January 19 notification issued by the ministry, directed towards Islamabad chief commissioner and police chief, had said that as per an ISI report, the radio airs programmes "found against the interests of Pakistan and in line with hostile intelligence agency's agenda".
It had said that the four main themes of the programmes aired by the service include "portraying Pakistan as a hub of terrorism and safe haven for militant groups, propagating Pakistan as a failed state in terms of providing security to its minorities and Pakhtuns, presenting the Pakhtuns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Balochistan as being disenchanted with the state, and distorting facts to incite people against state and its institutions".
The ministry, thus, decided to close down the radio's regional office located in Islamabad and terminate its activities.
The Czech-based Radio Free Europe first began its services in Fata in 2010 by the name of Radio Mashaal with an aim of providing "an alternative to the growing number of extremist radio stations in the region".
Radio Free Europe was also among nine outlets Russia accused of being "foreign agents" last month.
