ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry ordered to shut down Radio Mashaal, afterreceiving intelligence report regarding the operations of a Pashto languagebroadcaster connected to the US-funded Radio Free Europe.
Interior ministry issued a notification in this regard on Friday anddirected the Islamabad chief and police chief of capital to close down theoperations of the radio.
The ministry added that the programs of the Radio Mashaal was found againstthe national interests and spreading fake news regarding Pakistanintelligence in the country and in the region.
It added that Radio Mashaal aired programs and trying to portrayingPakistan is safe havens of terrorists and roots of terrorisms is only inthe country and also presenting the Pakhtuns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATAare disappointed towards the state and trying to incite the people againstthe state and its institutions, the Radio Mashaal also propagating andportraying Pakistan as a failed state in terms of providing security to theits minorities.
The ministry, thus, decided to close down the radio’s regional officelocated in Islamabad and terminate its activities. The
Radio Free Europe which is based in Czech and first it began its servicesin 2010 by the name of Radio Mashaal with an aim of providing “analternative to the growing number of extremist radio stations in theregion”.