On October 27, the Supreme Court of Pakistan reintroduced the ban on Indian television content across the country.

According to the popular Pakistan daily, Dawn, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing a petition filed by United Producers Association related to the broadcasting of foreign televised content.

While the top judge ordered the ban on Indian content across the country, he said, “They are trying to [obstruct the construction] of our dam and we cannot even ban their channels?” The bench added that the broadcasters will only air “appropriate content”.

Earlier in 2016, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) had imposed a blanket ban on Indian content in television and radio in Pakistan. Then in 2017, the ban was lifted.

Dawn reports that this might be done as a retaliation to India censoring and blocking certain Pakistani content in the country. Famous actors like Fawad Khan and Ali Zafar were also banned from making movies in Bollywood.

Special committee to check illegal smuggling of content

The Supreme Court also ordered a formation of a special committee to curb the unchecked availability of direct-to-home (DTH) devices that are allegedly smuggled from India.

The directive was issued by a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar, who took up a case related to how easily Indian DTH or magic box is available in Pakistani markets.  

The committee will consist of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Jahanzeb Khan, Member Customs Mohammad Zahid, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Bashir Memon and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Chairman Saleem Baig, reported Economic Times.

The Chief Justice of India regretted that the easy availability of such devices mostly consist of Indian channels and result in the draining of hard-earned money out of Pakistan.

Also Read: Beyond Border: Tales Of Friendship, Love And Beauty From India And Pakistan