RAWALPINDI, Feb 29: The office-bearers of Cable Operators' Association, Rawalpindi-Islamabad, have urged Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to stop their competitors from showing Indian channels as, they said, it was destroying their businesses.

The cable operators made this demand in a meeting presided over by the association president, Naveed Akbar, here on Sunday.

Talking to Dawn, the association chairman, Shaikh Ejaz Ahmed, said the Wireless TV Operating System (MMDS) and the Direct to Home (DTH) providers were airing most of the Indian channels in violation of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Ordinance.

He claimed that majority of their clients had stopped paying monthly fees to the cable operators and were demanding the provision of Indian channels. "People are switching over to the DTH and MMDS networks for watching Indian channels and the businesses of thousands of cable operators are at stake," he added.

"We want an end to this double standard of Pemra. It should either ban our competitors from showing Indian channels or also allow us to do the same," Mr Ejaz said. In reply to a question, he said the MMDS and DTH charged Rs350 and Rs400 per month, respectively, while cable operators took Rs200 each from their clients.

Majority of people, especially in Islamabad and in the posh localities of Rawalpindi, are ready to pay the extra Rs150 or Rs200 per month for watching quality entertainment channels being provided by MMDS and DTH providers, he added.