ISLAMABAD – The Pakistani government after banning American funded radioMashal for continuously airing anti Pakistan radio shows is now planning toban the service of another American funded radio Deewalink> on the same grounds.
Pakistan government feels that Deewa radio since last one year hascontinuously been airing programs which are intended to portray negativeimage of the country and provoking certain ethnicities against thePakistani estate, English daily has reported.
It is pertinent to mention here that both of these radio channels arefunded by US government and are managed by Broadcasting Board of Governorslink> (BBG). whereas; the head office of Deewa radio islocated inside the head quarters of Voice of America (VOA) in Washington DC.
A Pakistani Pakhtun living in America while talking to The Frontier Postsaid that although the mission statement of BBG on its website says that“the mission of the BBG is to inform, engage and connect the people aroundthe world in support of freedom and democracy” But both these radios hasnot taken a single initiative to connect the Pakhtuns living in Americawith the Pakhtuns living in Pakistan or Afghanistan.
He further said that there are thousand of Pakhtuns in America with eithergenuine issues or great talents but they are not being promoted by DeewaRadio.
He further said that whenever one views the website or Facebook page ofDeewa radio, it shows if Pakistan is ready to collapse any day and that thecountry is in complete mess. How come Deewa radio does not see anythingpositive happening in Pakistan, he wondered.
A journalist who works in Urdu service of Voice of America while talking toThe Frontier Post said that “ I have no idea who is making the policy inDeewa radio because we in VOA Urdu service do not portray Pakistan in sucha negative manner asRadio Deewa does.”
When asked if it could be the Director of South and Central Asia of Voiceof America, Akbar Ayazi, who is originally from Afghanistan might be givingorders to Deewa radio for airing anti Pakistan content.
The VOA Urdu staffer replied in negative and said that if that was the casethen Urdu services of VOA would have been doing the same thing as Deewaradio. He further said that there might be a few individuals who arecarrying their vandetta by using staff members of Deewa radio.