Tribune Take: Cable operators, more 'ghairatmand' than thou?

Blockage of BBC World News by cable operators is a knee-jerk reaction, with little impact on the BBC.

In today’s episode of the Tribune Take we look at Pakistani cable operators taking BBC World News off-air after proclaiming to ‘ban’ the channel for airing "anti-Pakistan" programming following a NATO air strike on a Pakistani border check post that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

Zarrar Khuhro, editor T-Magazine, says this move is likely a "knee-jerk" reaction based on souring US-Pak relations, as taking foreign news channels off-air will have very little impact on the likes of the BBC or CNN. Clarifying that the ban is not imposed directly by the government, he also predicts the channel will come back on-air once the climate in the country has cooled down.

"Whether its a case of the cable operators being more ghairatmand than thou, or whether they have been put up to it by the government or government agencies is of course, another question" he adds.

Khuhro, however, cautions that many in Pakistan including those in the media seem to take reports published in foreign press organizations to be the absolute truth, ignoring the fact that all media organizations have their own agendas.

Read Zarrar Khuhro’s articles here.

The Tribune Take daily news web show will appear on the tribune.com.pk home page.

The Take will feature in-depth interviews and analysis with editors and reporters who are covering the major stories, exploring front page events and major ledes. The news analysis covers the way The Express Tribune examines a story, how we cover it and why.