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India Bans Arab TV Channels Under Pressure
From the Zionist entity
BOMBAY - Shahid Raza Burney
In a country widely referred to as the
world’s largest democracy, the Indian government has succumbed to mounting
Zionist pressure and ordered a nationwide ban on the
broadcast of Arab television channels.
The Indian government’s ban on Arab
television stations is in complete contrast to the friendship that Arab
countries imagine exists with their neighbor across the Arabian Sea. It seems
the ban is a move to ensure that Indians do not get to see the atrocities that
are presently being committed by the Zionist entity in
Lebanon and the occupied territories.
Nabila Al-Bassam, a
Saudi businesswoman on a trip to Bombay, told Arab News how she became
exasperated at not being able to watch Arab channels at Bombay’s leading
five-star Oberoi Hotel. When she took up the issue with the hotel manager, she
was told that Arab television channels had been banned across India.
A perplexed
Al-Bassam then sent an SMS to Arab News Editor in Chief Khaled Almaeena to
verify whether this was indeed the case. “Oberoi Hotel
tells me that the government of India has banned all Arab TV channels. Why? I
hate watching CNN and BBC,” she wrote to Almaeena.
Talking to Arab
News, Oberoi Hotel Manager Mohit Nirula did allude to the fact that a ban was in
place. “The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has
laid down certain rules. It is our duty to abide by and follow the rules of the
country,” he told this correspondent.
Minister of
Information and Broadcasting Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi was busy in Parliament and
was unavailable for comment on the issue. However, a ministry official explained
why the Indian government decided to enforce the ban. The official highlighted
that India enjoys close and cordial relations with the Zionist
entity and the US more than any of the Arab governments.
According to another
source within the government, the ban is a clear sign to all governments in the
Middle East that the Zionist, American and British
governments carry far more influence in India than any of the Arab governments.
Several senior
Indian journalists explained that the ban was an indication that India had
succumbed to Zionist pressure rather than American.
“The whole exercise is to browbeat Arabs and show them as
terrorists. The government is subscribing to the absurd argument that channels
like Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya promote hatred and encourage terrorism,”
they said.
Political analysts
in India described the move as a game of double standard that India is playing.
On the one hand India establishes friendship with the Arab world while
simultaneously it joins with the Zionist entity and the
US in defaming them. It seems that the pro-Zionist lobby
wishes to drive a wedge between India and its time-tested Arab allies. The
Indian government’s present stance is in stark contrast to the late Mrs. Indira
Gandhi’s staunch support of the Palestinian cause.
The banning of Arabic channels is a federal government decision, done under what
senior Indian journalists claim to be intense pressure from the
Zionist, American and British governments.
50 years after
independence the world’s largest democracy unfairly suppresses alternative
opinion and allows itself to be dictated to by foreign powers.
The analysts believe the Indian government may have used a clause within the
Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, that certain channels or programs that
can potentially cause damage to India’s friendly relations with foreign
countries can be banned, a clear violation of democratic ideals such as freedom
of expression and freedom of speech.
The response to the
ban by hotel administrations across Bombay has been dismal. Chad Alberico, JW
Marriott’s customer care official in Washington, said: “We
have reviewed your recent inquiries regarding the television offerings at our JW
Marriott Bombay. We have phoned our colleagues at the hotel to discuss the
matter at hand, but as it is the weekend, we will need additional time to form a
complete response.”
“I’m on my way home, it’s the weekend and I will respond
on Monday,” said Shehnaz Ankelsaria from the Taj President Hotel. Annan
Udeshi from The Hilton was unavailable and asked for a message to be left on her
recorder. Khushnooma Kapadia of Marriott Hotel said she would get back later.
Rafat Kazi from the Grand Central Sheraton said that she would answer after
consulting her general manager. Puja Guleria of Sheraton Maratta said she needed
time to deal with the questions. Firuza Mistry of Grand Hyatt said that she was
not aware of the facts and would check and respond, and Priya Mathias of Hyatt
Regency said that she would also need to check with her senior officials to
comment.
Source :
Arab News
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