Cable operators decide not to air Indian news channels in Nepal

Published On: July 10, 2020 07:31 AM NPT By: Republica  | @RepublicaNepal


KATHMANDU, July 10: Nepali cable service providers have stopped airing Indian news channels in Nepal. Multi System Operators (MSOs) in Nepal have decided that all the Indian news channels except Doordarshan, the state-owned television channel in India, will not be broadcast in Nepal.

According to the vice chairman of Mega Max TV, Dhruba Sharma, the cable operators took the decision to this effect on Thursday.

Without following even a minimum level of ethics of journalism, Indian news channels have been broadcasting misleading news contents related to Nepal in recent days amid the tense relations between these two neighbors after Nepal issued its new political map including the disputed regions of Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limpiyadhura.

“As Indian news channels violate the ethics of journalism, we have decided not to broadcast them except the Doordarshan, following the consultations among the service providers,” said Sharma. However, those channels are being broadcast online. According to Sharma, the government should introduce a policy to restrict their broadcast online.

Meanwhile, people from various walks of life including political parties, media fraternity, civil society and intellectual community have vented their ire on social media particularly against a recent imaginary and defamatory show run by Zee News which has linked Prime Minister Oli with Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi. 

In the 16-minute show with a headline offensive toward PM Oli and Ambassador Hou, the two anchors tried to give an impression to the Indian audience that PM Oli is working at the behest of China and Hou is doing her best to meddle into Nepal's internal affairs. They even accused the Chinese ambassador of hatching conspiracies to harm Nepal-India relations.


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