India-Pakistan friendship over the radio waves

April 28, 2006

By Muhammad Najeeb, Indo-Asian News Service

Islamabad, April 28 (IANS) Pakistani radio stations based in cities close to India are getting a massive response from Indian listeners and have become another channel to bridge the divide between people of the two countries.

'We receive 10 to 15 emails daily from Indian listeners, especially from those in the Jammu region,' Shahid Kazmi, Sialkot station manager of Radio Buraq, told IANS.

He said they also got letters and telephone calls from India. 'Some of our programmes are really popular there and people also make live calls to request for songs of their choice,' Kazmi said.

He said Radio Buraq's Ghazal programme was hugely popular and 'we receive many phone calls with people mostly asking for ghazals of Noor Jehan, Mehdi Hassan and other Pakistani singers'.

Kazmi said that it was an exciting experience to work for a radio station that was heard by people in a 'hostile country'.

But he added: 'We have never ever received any message, letter or phone call that contains hostile words... I am amazed by the way people send their greetings to our DJs and listeners living in Pakistan.'

Ali, an anchor working with FM-100 in Lahore, said he received a telephone call during his programme from a Karan Lal who had migrated to India after the 1947 partition of the subcontinent. Lal wanted to send his greetings to his former neighbour, Wali Ahmed in Lahore.

'Wali Ahmed's son Waqas was listening to the programme in his car and he responded to Lal by calling in during the programme... He said his father had died a couple of years ago but he used to talk about a Karan Lal and his family,' Ali told IANS.

He said Waqas invited Karan Lal and his family to his home in Lahore. However, Karan Lal has not responded so far.

'I am glad that my programme acted as a bridge for the first communication between the two former neighbours,' he said. 'I wish for their reunion and I will continue to convey Waqas' message for Karan Lal until he responds.'

'Let the airwaves reach across the border and you will come to know about many such pleasant incidents,' says Adnan Rehmat, country director of Internews, an international body that works for free media.

'Airwaves have no geographical boundaries and can be the best mode of people-to-people contact,' Rehmat said.

'People on both sides of the line share language, culture... I believe the exchange of voices can convert the hostility into friendship, and we are striving for it.'

Internews has provided technical and material help to FM radio stations in Pakistan and in areas hit by the massive earthquake last year where Islamabad allowed emergency FM stations to come up to provide information to the quake survivors.

'We are receiving marvellous response from radio stations in NWFP (North West Frontier Province) and (Pakistani) Kashmir... Their programmes have helped a lot in providing timely information to survivors regarding diseases and other dangers,' said Rehmat.

Many private FM radio stations play Indian songs though they are banned under the law.

'We play Indian songs on listeners' request,' said Najib Ahmed, chef executive of FM-99 channel. 'When people from both the sides are meeting each other... even at the top level, why can't we play Indian songs?'

Rehmat said Internews would help FM radio stations along the border with India.

'We are supporting FM radios along the western borders (with Afghan border) and we would definitely support FM channels along the (Indian) border,' he said.