Pakistan bans advertisements featuring Indian artists
Islamabad, Aug 16: Pakistan's electronic media watchdog has banned the airing of advertisements featuring Indian artists as part of the country's protest against India revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) circulated a letter dated Aug 14 on Wednesday announcing the ban.
Pemra said that it already withdrew the permission for airing Indian channels and content on the directions of the Pakistan Supreme Court in October last year.
"However, it has been observed that advertisements of various products of multinationals which are either produced in India or carrying Indian characters/talent [are] being aired on electronic media," according to the Pemra letter.
It further said that the government announced that it would observe the Independence Day on August 14 to express solidarity with Kashmiris and ads with Indian actors was a negation of official policy.
It said that currently ads of products like Dettol soap, Surf Excel powder, Pantene shampoo, Head & Shoulders shampoo, Lifebuoy shampoo, Fogg body spray, Sunsilk shampoo, Knorr noodles, Sufi, Fair & Lovely face wash, and Safeguard soap were being banned.
It asked the companies that they can run the ads of those product by replacing the Indian characters, as it warned of action in case of violations.
Pemra's action is the latest in series of measures announced by Pakistan in reaction to revocation of special status of Kashmir by India.
India has categorically told the international community that its decision on Jammu and Kashmir is an internal matter and has also asked Pakistan to accept it.
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TMC MLA Humayun Kabir apologises for claiming 'coterie' influencing Mamata's decisions
Kolkata (PTI): Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir has apologised to the party's leadership for his recent comment that a "coterie" was influencing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's key decisions.
Kabir, the MLA of Bharatpur in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, expressed his apology on Friday in reply to a show cause notice issued by the party's disciplinary committee.
"Yes, I have sent a reply. I will certainly follow party discipline. But I think being a person from the rural belt, not conversant with the ways of the city, I faced this situation for speaking my mind. However, I had not said anything against my party or its leadership," he told reporters.
"Our CM epitomises the spirit of 'Maa-Mati-Manush' and being a person of the grassroots level, I always stay rooted to the ground. Maybe I should have been more careful about my way of expressing," he said.
A senior member of the TMC's legislative disciplinary committee said the reply to the show cause letter was received, and a decision on it will be communicated soon.
Kabir, however, said some other TMC MPs had on earlier occasions made comments against party colleagues but were not censured.
On Thursday, he met the CM in the assembly's lobby where she had asked him to reply to the show-cause notice first.
On November 26, Kabir had said a coterie within the party was taking certain decisions to cement their position and was influencing the CM's key decisions for their short-term gains.
He had said this a day after the TMC national executive meeting where the party had categorically asked its leaders not to make comments in public against any internal decision and formed disciplinary committees at different levels.
Kabir had earlier advocated for giving more responsibility to TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, reiterating that the Diamond Harbour MP was undoubtedly the number two in the party's hierarchy and those trying to undermine his influence would not succeed.
