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KARACHI, Nov 7: Electronics dealers selling satellite dishes and decoders appeared to be the latest targets of administrative action as police on Wednesday forced traders in Saddar to shut down their businesses after sales of satellite dishes shot up following the government’s ban on private news channels.
Electronics market traders confirmed the police action as some nine shops in main Saddar selling satellite dishes and decoders were shut by the police.
“A couple of police mobiles took a round of the whole electronics market in Saddar and found fewer than a dozen shops which were selling such items,” said a dealer and senior member of the Karachi Electronics Dealers’ Association (Keda).
“Though the sale of satellite dishes and decoders has not been a very attractive business for the last few years due to the popularity of cable television networks, some traders managed to offer such items for sale over the last few days as cable TV went off the air last week,” said the source. He said the shopkeepers on Sarmad Road adjacent to Regal Chowk were asked to close their businesses by the police amid an exchange of hot words between the traders and the officials.
The police also warned them not to put these items on sale again, said another trader, who witnessed police mobiles carrying satellite dishes and decoders with them from the shops on Sarmad Road. However, the officials offered an absolutely different justification for their actions.
‘Violation of Customs Act’
“Actually, under the Customs Act certain items cannot be sold, as they need clearance from the authorities concerned,” said Captain (Retd) Tahir Naveed, SP Saddar.
“The police conducted a legal action on the request of the federal agencies and institutions, which do not operate on their own and ask the police for support for any operation.”
The traders contested the police’s claims and saw the action as unjustified, as they claimed they had fulfilled all requisite legal formalities.
“The traders who were targeted have all the things the police referred to,” said another trader. “They have the receipts of purchase and the clearance certificates from all organizations. The police actually didn’t ask for those. They just came and forced the traders to close their businesses.”
Amid the authorities’ justifications and the traders’ arguments, media-people and rights’ activists saw the police action in line with the ongoing media curbs, depriving the people of their right to know.
Widespread crackdown
“It’s not only in Karachi, as we have reports that the government has taken the same moves in Rawalpindi, Lahore and other cities,” said Mazhar Abbas, Secretary of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists about the crackdown.
Mr Abbas said the government first placed a ban on private television channels and had now started targeting all alternative outlets of information which could keep the people abreast of the developments across the country.
“But in this age of technology, the government should understand that it can’t stop people who want to know what’s going on through banning channels and suspending the sales of dish antennas or decoders,” he added.
“This is the height of frustration from the new martial regime,” said Syed Iqbal Haider, Secretary-General of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). “It’s an attempt to turn Pakistan into Burma. Each and very right of the citizens is being targeted one by one.”
The sales of dish antennas have witnessed a phenomenal jump in the last few days as the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority ensured that TV news channels remained off the air following the imposition of emergency.
An official at a Karachi dish antenna manufacturing company said his facility produced some 4,500 units in the last five days, due to the healthy demand of the electronics dealers.
