Landing rights to Shamshad TV???

Jalil Afridi Yesterday there was a story in The Frontier Post with the headline “Iftikhar to support Afghan tv with landing rights”. This story was about the Afghanistan based Pashto television Shamshad, whose management had met Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, and had asked for his support with regard to getting landing rights from the federal government. Every foreign channel is required to get landing rights license from Pemra, a government functionary which controls the electronic media. Landing Rights is a very major issue for every big or emerging channel to be able to be viewed in another country. But what is more interesting about Pashto television is that it is widely viewed by the Pakhtuns living on both sides of the border in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Government policy with regard to Pakhuns on both sides of the border is very different. Pakistan’s policy with regard to Pakhtuns can be seen with the fact the government is presently celebrating the rights being given to the people of FATA after sixty-four years. Whereas the Afghan policy with regard to Pakhtuns can be judged by the facts that only Pakhtoons are dying in Afghanistan for the last ten years and that they are given meager role in government affairs.Interestingly in Pakistan there is only one Pashto privately owned television channel and that is Khyber and in Afghanistan Shamshad is the only twenty four hours Pashto channel. It is not fair to get into the debate of who owns Shamshad tv and who owns Khyber tv, but a small introduction should be given so our readers at least know the management behind these channels. Khyber tv is owned by Mr. Kamran Raja, a through gentleman, but a gentleman who does not speak Pashto nor is he a Pakhtoon. Shamshad Tv is owned by Haji Fazal Karim and managed by his nephew/son in law Haji Nasim. Haji Fazal Karim made his fortune in his NGO (Omar Mines) which has been working on anti-mine projects and getting huge funds from international donors. Shamshad television office is in Kabul might be more decorated and bigger than any private television of Pakistan. I had the honour of speaking to both the owners of these two television channels and interestingly they both point fingers at each other for being sponsored by their respective intelligence agencies. I know a little bit about the truth in these allegations but what is more important and interesting is that whether these two channels should be given landing rights to operate in their respective countries. I personally think and say it with great pain that both of these two channels should not be given landing rights in other countries keeping in view the current scenario of both the countries. I am a strong supporter of free media but due to extraordinary things happenings on both sides of the border adventurism should be avoided. Entertainment channels should be given landing rights but news channels should not be allowed to get landing rights, otherwise, there is a great chance that heat between the two countries and their supported Pashto channels would be increased to a level where only negative things could happen.On the other hand, I sometimes think that maybe that’s the plan and all this is being done intentionally. Maybe it was the plan many years ago to eventually create a situation where both of these two channels will work towards a greater game using their home pitch.