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Kashmiris shun PTV, tune in to CNN and BBC

A K Dhar in Leh

People in Jammu and Kashmir have abandoned Pakistan Television and are tuning to multinational networks to follow the events in Afghanistan, particularly the dramatic collapse of the Taleban regime.

"The past few weeks have seen a flood of requests from civilians, mostly Kashmiris with business interests, for hook-up to BBC and CNN channels," Ghaffar, a leading cable operator, said.

"I get 15 to 20 calls daily, not only from Kashmiri settlers, but people from Kargil also," he said.

Earlier, the people were watching PTV. But for the past few weeks there has been a dramatic change, with people closely following the collapse of the Taleban and the rout of its Pakistani fraternal terrorist organisations like the Harkat-ul-Mujahadeen and Jaish-e-Mohammed, Ghaffar said.

As "Operation Enduring Freedom" unfolded, people were watching PTV, which carried a lot of Al-Jazeera footage. But when 35 Harkat terrorists were killed on November 5 in Kabul, the clamour for foreign channels started.

Majid Kakpuri, a Kargil resident, said people in his hometown were also following the events in Afghanistan.

Cable operators said the television fever was not confined to public alone. A large number of troops deployed along the Line of Control and Sino-Indian border were also watching foreign channels.

"There has been a ten-fold increase in demand for cable hook-up from army formations in Leh and Kargil itself, Ghaffar said, adding frontline formations had their own satellite dish antenna to tune into international channels.

PTI

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