ISLAMABAD – The Interior Ministry on Friday ordered to close downoperations of Radio Mashaal, a Pashto language broadcaster linked to theUS-funded Radio Free Europe, on recommendations of the Inter-ServicesIntelligence (ISI).
A notification issued by the ministry, directed towards Islamabad chiefcommissioner and police chief, said that as per an ISI report, the radioairs programmes “found against the interests of Pakistan and in line withhostile intelligence agency’s agenda”.
It said that the four main themes of the programmes aired by the serviceinclude “portraying Pakistan as a hub of terrorism and safe haven formilitant groups, propagating Pakistan as a failed state in terms ofproviding security to its minorities and Pakhtuns, presenting the Pakhtunsof Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) andBalochistan as being disenchanted with the state, and distorting facts toincite people against state and its institutions”.
The ministry, thus, decided to close down the radio’s regional officelocated in Islamabad and terminate its activities.
The Czech-based Radio Free Europe in FATA in 2010 by the name of RadioMashaal with an aim of providing “an alternative to the growing number ofextremist radio stations in the region”.
Radio Free Europe was also among nine outlets Russia banned as foreignagent last month.