IT happens routinely in Pakistan, so often that most of us consider it merely an irksome fact of life.
You’re watching something on television, and without warning the screen goes dark. When transmission comes back, it’s not the same channel anymore. All the channels have shifted around, so that what was airing on your television set’s channel one, say, has now been moved elsewhere.
So you sigh, and reach for your remote, and resign yourself to the task of trawling through upwards of 100 channels that most cable operators in urban areas offer to find that film you were watching. You might find it hiding somewhere, sandwiched between the kids’ channels. Or you may not find it at all — it may have been temporarily or even permanently removed from your options.
A notable instance of this was in early December, when out of the blue cable operators pulled BBC World News and some other international news networks off air. The All Pakistan Cable Operators’ Association felt that these channels had been portraying Pakistan in a negative light and in a manner hurtful to the country’s image. (It is worth reminding readers that BBC was at that time airing the documentary ‘Secret Pakistan’ which explored connections between elements in the country’s security apparatus and the militants with which it has been battling).
This move by the APCOA caused quite a stir and eventually, BBC and international news returned to most households across the country (though in a few pockets they didn’t).
In another area, however, channels are quite routinely pulled off air on the directions of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), and we often fail to notice because the content these channels were airing simply appears elsewhere. This is content that is decreed by the regulatory authority as variously being ‘obscene’, ‘vulgar’ or ‘offensive’.
On May 12, Pemra issued a press release about the latest of such efforts to clean up our airwaves. It said that the day before, Pemra had raided a number of cable operators’ offices in different parts of the country in “a bid to stop illegal satellite and CD channels which were being shown despite repeated warnings”. These included Star Plus, Sony, Star One, Star Cricket, Zee Cinema and Zee Action, B4U Music and a number of others.
“Besides, a large number of illegal CD channels being run by cable operators were also closed,” says the press release. “All cable networks have been provided a list which contains 89 indigenous satellite TV channels, 28 foreign channels and all PTV channels. The cable operators have, however, choice to carry channels of their choice among the eligible list depending on the capacity of their cable network [sic].”
On the face of it, that sounds all very well and good. Pemra’s job is to regulate, and that’s what it appears to be doing.
Channels that have not bought landing rights in Pakistan should not be on air.
As in most things, though, the devil lies in the details. A sentence that starts unexceptionably by referring to content piracy goes on to say that “…there had also been a lot of public complaints against vulgar content and movies being shown on these channels. Most of the operators were airing vulgar mujras, dances and movies not worthy of watching while sitting with family”. The press release ends sternly: “Cases of all these cable operators would be taken before the authority for imposition of heavy fines and suspension of licences. Pemra said that initially this action is initiated against illegal and proscribed channels. However, similar action would be initiated … if they did not stop airing excessive foreign and indecent
content”.
That last sentence is the smoking gun. It would appear, then, that there are two issues here. One is the airing of channels illegally; the other is the airing of content, perhaps on a channel that may be legal, of what somebody somewhere considers “not worthy of watching while sitting with family”.
What these prim sentiments mask is a serious and organised campaign to have certain content removed as far as possible from the airwaves, not because of the dangers it poses to impressionable young minds but because this would further fatten the coffers of some of the large media conglomerates operating in the country. Behind the scenes, pressure is being applied at the right places to put primarily Indian entertainment content offline in Pakistan, by local media groups that run their own entertainment channels.
The advantage to this is two-fold. First, pulling highly popular Indian entertainment content off the air would leave viewers with little choice but to turn to the local alternatives. Second, and more important, the gap this would leave in the on-air ‘market’ can be and, more than willingly, is filled by the local entertainment channels, pulling in lots and lots of the advertisements that make soulless media barons very happy indeed.
And this, precisely, is how it becomes clear that the campaign is not about vulgarity or obscenity at all, that it is merely packaged thus in order to be able to sell it to the right quarters: the local channels air Indian television content, the popular films and soaps, with most such material by proportion being aired by the Geo and ARY networks. This rigmarole is not about morals, it’s about keeping the competition out and cold, hard cash. And no prizes for guessing which groups are behind it all.
What bothers me most about all this is the hypocrisy of it. Call it obscene but then put it on your own channels, which most of the networks do? That’s taking the public, and Pemra, for a ride.
The writer is a member of staff.
hajrahmumtaz@gmail.com
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