Pakistan blocks BBC

London: Pakistan has blocked the BBC over a documentary that questions Islamabad's commitment to the war against terror, the broadcaster said.

BBC said that Pakistani cable television operators have blocked its international news TV channel, BBC World News.

The move comes over the broadcast of the two-part documentary called "Secret Pakistan".

Saying that it was deeply concerned by the move, BBC called for its channel to be reinstated.

"We condemn any action that threatens our editorial independence and prevents audiences from accessing our impartial international news service," a BBC spokesperson said.

"We would urge that BBC World News and other international news services are reinstated as soon as possible," he added.

The documentary observed that there was a double game in Pakistan and it quoted US intelligence officials as saying that they acted as America's ally in public while secretly training and arming the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The ban on BBC comes just days after the Nov 26 NATO airstrike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. The ties between Islamabad and Washington have been strained following the May 2 killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.

A cable operators' association said Tuesday that all foreign news channels airing "anti-Pakistan" content would be barred from Wednesday.

Cable Operators Association spokesperson Khalid Arain said that no foreign anti-Pakistan channel would "ever" be broadcast.

"We want to send them a strong message to stop this. If they don't stop this, then it is our right to stop them," he was quoted as saying.
 

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