PESHAWAR: Radio Pakistan Peshawar has reduced time duration of regional languages including Pashto from 60 per cent to 20 per cent, forcing listeners to switch over to foreign radio channels for news, current affairs and several other broadcasts.

Set up in 1935, Radio Peshawar was popular for its local shows including folk music, feature programmes, dramas, shows for children and women. The station has the credit of introducing legendary drama artists, broadcasters and folk singers over the last eight decades. It played a vital role in promoting local arts and culture.

“British governor of erstwhile of NWFP Raplh Griffith had made his inaugural speech in Pashto, keeping in view the significance of the regional lingo but unfortunately the officials concerned are bent on dwarfing importance of local transmission,” Rahmat Ali Kaka, a diehard radio fan, told this scribe.

Noted literati and heads of literary and cultural organisations have shown concerns over the issue and have also demanded of the authorities to take notice of it and ensure local broadcasting to the desired level.

Muqam Khan Afridi, a resident of Khyber tribal district, told this scribe that he used to listen to Radio Peshawar for social events, music and dramas and also political upheavals in the province in Pashto but now switched over to foreign Pashto radio channels.

He added that he had no option to rely on either social media or even on a Pashto radio shows relayed from New Delhi.

Razi Gul Momand, another radio fan, complained that he no more listened to Radio Peshawar as it stopped relaying Pashto programmes and most prime hours were devoured by national hook-up transmissions, broadcasting news, current affairs and entertainment and sports in Urdu. He termed it a sheer injustice to regional languages, saying it might harm national unity at large.

“Pashto transmission has been reduced to 20 per cent from 60 per cent, forcing KP audience to switch over to foreign Pashto radio channels, which in most cases mislead them when it comes to political development in the country as majority population in tribal districts and rural areas understand only Pashto or other regional languages,” said Sharbat Wazir, a student of University of Peshawar from North Waziristan.

Rashid Khan folk artist and head of KP Artists Organisation said that high-ups of Pakistan Broadcasting Cooperation (PBC) should restore the stipulated time for all the regional languages and take steps to improve quality of reaching out to large audience as it would help to promote cultural and linguistic diversity.

Senior writer Prof Abaseen Yousafzai said that reducing time for Pashto audience would not only harm national unity but would also damage local identity and deprive local listeners of their right to listen to contents on state-run radio.

An official of PBC, when contacted, said that radio was broadcasting over 15 hours shows on variety of segments covering news, current affairs, special shows for youth, women, dramas and music in Pashto, Hindko and Khowar. He added that he had not received any complaints from anywhere in the province.

“Youth, green Pakistan, education and several segments are on top priority and regional languages are given due share. Hook-up transmission is for the entire state-run radio stations. PBC Peshawar has improved its contents for mass transmission,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2024