12 illegal radio stations shut down in NW Pakistan
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 7 December 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 12 illegal radio stations shut down in NW Pakistan, 7 December 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/50cb3aba2c.html [accessed 23 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
December 07, 2012
By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal
PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Authorities in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province have shut down 12 illegal FM radio stations.
The closures followed a provincial cabinet decision that called for closing down all stations operating without a government license.
Qamar Ali, an official in Khyber Pahtunkwa's Home and Tribal Affairs Department, said the stations engaged in propaganda and were agitating for a rebellion against the government.
He said the stations were run by various mosques and religious seminaries in the rural Swabi district near the provincial capital, Peshawar.
Authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province see the illegal radio stations as a clear threat to government authority.
Illegal broadcasts were blamed for helping instigate a bloody Taliban rebellion in the Swat Valley in 2007.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
