US in talks with Pakistan on LeT media ban

The US has said that it is in talks with Pakistan regarding that country’s recent move to ban media coverage of terrorist outfits including Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT).

“All I can tell you is we’re aware of them, we’re looking into them, we’re talking about this with Pakistani leaders,” state department spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

“I’m going to refer you to Pakistan for the reasoning behind its decisions,” he said. Pakistan on November 2 banned media coverage of militant groups like the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) as part of a crackdown on terror, acknowledging for the first time that the Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led outfit was a wing of the LeT.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) had issued a notification banning all satellite television channels and FM radio from coverage of LeT, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) under UN restriction. “The Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation are the other wings of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba,” the PEMRA notification said.

“What I can tell you is we recognise there’s a balance to be struck here between the fight against terrorism and media freedom. It’s a balance that every nation has to strike. Pakistan should speak for itself and for why it made this decision and how it’s going to execute this decision. What I can tell you is, you know, we continue to discuss this issue with leaders in Pakistan and we’ll do that,” he said.

On Monday, Pakistan banned media coverage of militant groups like the JuD as part of a crackdown on terror, acknowledging for the first time that the Mumbai attack mastermind Saeed-led outfit was a wing of the LeT.