Islamabad, Aug 10: In a major crackdown against banned Indian satellite channels and those allegedly showing "vulgur movies", Pakistan authorities have arrested several cable operators in Karachi. Police also seized dozens of satellite receivers, VCRs, VCD players and television sets in raids in many localities of Karachi yesterday.

The ban on the Indian TV channels was imposed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) in December 2001 at the height of Indo-Pak military tensions.

"We are arresting only those cable operators who are airing Indian movies and banned Indian channels illegally," local DSP Preedy Aijaz Hashmi told the news daily.

He said the violators would be punished under PEMRA laws. The punishment could be two years in prison or Rs 1 mn fine. The ban on Indian channels, hugely popular in Pakistan, has continued though India had lifted its earlier ban on PTV.

Though the star bouquet of channels was exempted, the star news continued to be in the banned list.

Officials in PERMA, a body created by the Musharraf government to work out new policy guidelines for the TV channels say the ban should continue in order to encourage several new private channels like Indus Television and Ary television started by expat Pakistanis from Dubai and London.

PTV too has modernised its programme structure. Some more Pakistani channels were expected to be operational on August 14, the Independence Day of Pakistan.

Bureau Report