Daily Times

ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: The Interior Ministry on Friday ordered to close down operations of Radio Mashaal, a Pashto-language broadcaster linked to the US-funded Radio Free Europe, on recommendations of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

A notification issued by the ministry, directed towards Islamabad chief commissioner and police chief, said that as per an ISI report, the radio was airing programmes ‘found against the interests of Pakistan and in line with hostile intelligence agency’s agenda’.

It said that the four main themes of the programmes aired by the service include ‘portraying Pakistan as a hub of terrorism and safe haven for militant groups;

propagating Pakistan as a failed state in terms of providing security to its minorities and Pakhtuns; presenting the Pakhtuns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Balochistan as being disenchanted with the state; and distorting facts to incite people against state and its institutions’.

Mashal Radio is funded by the Radio Free Europe and covering the tribal areas, Balochistan and Afghanistan in Pashto language. Its programmes mostly focus on terrorism, extremism, education, culture, languages, minorities, CPEC, economy and rights of Pashtoon in the region.

The Czech-based radio first began its services in FATA in 2010 by the name of Radio Mashaal with an aim of providing ‘an alternative to the growing number of extremist radio stations in the region’. Separately, security forces destroyed a radio tower transmitting TTP messages near Pak-Afghan border in North Waziristan.

The radio station was set up near Dwa Toi on the Durand Line, a security official said.

Published in Daily Times, January 20^th 2018.