ISLAMABAD – The United States urged Pakistan on Friday to lift a ban onUS-funded Radio Mashaal which was banned on the country’s premierintelligence agency, the BBC Urdu reported.
US Department of State spokesperson Heather Nauert expressed American’sconcerns regarding the ban, adding that the reservations had been forwardedto Islamabad.
The United States has “expressed concern” over Pakistan’s decision todiscontinue Radio Mashaal’s services and has “demanded that thetransmission be restored immediately,” BBC Urdu said.
“The ban on Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Liberty station concerns the US,”she told reporters at a press briefing. “We have informed the Pakistanigovernment about our concerns and demand them to withdraw the decision ofclosing down Radio Mashaal without any delay.”
Meanwhile, RFE also expressed concernlink>onFriday that “members of Radio Mashaal are facing pressure by authoritiesfollowing the closure of the Pashto-language service’s Islamabad office onISI’s orders last week.”
Last week, authorities shut down US-funded Radio Free Europe/RadioLiberty‘s Pashto-language station in the country on for airing content“against the interest of Pakistan”. The office of RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal inIslamabad was ordered closed by the Ministry of Interior.
The notification accused Radio Mashaal of portraying Pakistan as a “failedstate” and “a hub of terrorism and safe haven for different militantgroups”. It alleged that the station was “distorting facts (to) incite thetarget population against the state and its institutions”, referring toethnic Pashtuns.Radio Mashaal broadcasts from Prague:
With its Pakistan bureau shut by authorities last week, Radio FreeEurope/Radio Liberty’s Pashto-language station is broadcasting from itsheadquarters in a distant Prague, waiting for “the dust to settle,”according to its senior editor.
“We read the charges through social media. We were not informed by anygovernment agent,” Daud Khattak, Radio Mashaal’s Prague-based senior editorsaid.
Funded by the US Congress, Radio Free Europe or Radio Liberty was foundedin 1950. It currently broadcasts in 25 languages. Mashaal has over 1.6million Facebook fans and scored 81 million video views on Facebook and 10million views on YouTube in 2017. Its closure coincides with heightenedtensions between Islamabad and Washington.