ISLAMABAD, March 19: A dispute involving a private TV channel, Pemra and cable operators resulted in private channels going off air from a large number of cable operators across the country on Saturday and people turned to the state-run Pakistan Television to watch the Pakistan versus Australia World Cup match played in Sri Lanka.Some of the cable operators, either due to some pressure or because of fear of being penalised by courts decided to air the cricket match on a private channel, and even restored other channels. However, most remained off air during the match.
It was after Pakistan won the match by four wickets that the private channels were restored late in the evening by the cable operators who had enforced the countrywide blackout to protest against Pemra raids on their premises and seizure of equipment in a row over the placement of a private channel claiming exclusive rights to telecast World Cup ties.
A spokesman for cable operators in Islamabad said the strike, which was originally scheduled for 24 hours from 12 noon on Saturday, had been called off early, although no details were immediately available about whether the dispute had been resolved or any progress had been made in talks between the parties.
It was almost like the good old days when PTV used to be the sole channel to show such sporting events, as it was spared the country’s first such blackout, which hit not only dozens of private Pakistani cannels but also foreign channels.
Streets in Islamabad and nearby areas presented an atmosphere of cricket stadiums where people had gathered to watch the match. Outdoor giant screens mounted on multi-storeyed buildings, markets, roofs of plazas and in restaurants and cafes attracted many young and old who gave up the comfort of their homes in favour of joining of joining other people in cheering the rare spectacle of the Pakistan victory. The evening in the capital was pleasant after a brisk shower and a mild hailstorm.
Roaring crowds could be heard in various sectors and children watched in wonder and cheered every boundary hit by Pakistani batsmen.
Some were out because there was loadshedding in their sectors and others because it was too pleasant to stay indoors.
In other cities too, people were back to the basics and the PTV logo glowed on the top right corner of every screen.
Lahore did not appear to share the enthusiasm with Islamabad. According to a Dawn staffer, the streets were calm, which was unusual. However, SMS had been doing rounds a day earlier that certain restaurants in Gulbarg would be showing live action on big screens. “But that was about it. There were no formal arrangements to show the match, except a few restaurants on the M.M. Alam Road having large screens,” he said.
Faisalabad was slightly better off as the match between the two great teams was being aired on PTV Home as well as a foreign sports channel.
And Peshawar was as dull as Faisalabad and Lahore where people switched through channels only to tune into PTV Home, the only channel showing the cricket match.
Muzaffarabad was slightly more action-packed as crowds gathered outside roadside restaurants, electronic stores and even kiosks to watch Pakistan play against Australia.