Pakistan TV to resume Dubai broadcasts

Pakistani news channel ARY One World is set to resume broadcasting from Dubai following negotiations with the Pakistani government and Dubai Media City.

CEO of ARY, Salman Iqbal, told Gulf News the channel had convinced the government to allow it to operate despite its refusal to sign a media code of conduct imposed earlier this month.

ARY One World and Geo TV, Pakistan’s biggest television network, were ordered to halt transmissions from Dubai on Saturday following pressure from President Musharraf.

A spokesman from the UAE National Media Council said the decision had been taken to uphold the country’s foreign policy by preserving its neutrality.

Pakistan’s Electronic Media Regulating Authority (PEMRA) issued an order at the beginning of the month banning the media from making any reports “that defame or bring into ridicule’ Musharraf, his administration or the military. Cable operators pulled the plug on domestic and international channels including the BBC, CNN and Fox News, leaving just the state-run Pakistan Television free to broadcast.

Iqbal told Gulf News “We had to convince the Pakistani government that we do not have an agenda against it or any other government”.