Indian media faces visa hurdles in Afghanistan coverage

Nivedita Mookerji in New Delhi

AS the focus of the US attack shifts from New York and Washington DC to Pakistan and Afghanistan, international media too has taken strategic positions in regions where the action is. But despite India’s proximity to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Indian television channels and newspapers have not been able to send their correspondents there. Primary reason: difficulty in getting visas.

Ever since the World Trade Center was attacked on the September 11, television channels have covered the incident moment by moment. But now, when action has moved closer home, Indian TV channels cannot do much. Prominent TV channels such as Star, Zee, Aaj Tak and Doordarshan (DD) have teams ready to go there, but have not been able to send anyone so far to Pakistan, the entry point through which one can reach Afghanistan.

At a time when media from other parts of the world, including BBC and CNN, have sent several correspondents to Islamabad, Kandahar and other border areas, Indian TV channels are still grappling with the exercise of acquiring visas. Said Aaj Tak executive director G Krishnan: “We’re looking at it (sending correspondents to Pakistan and Afghanistan).” But, he added: “You know how difficult it is to get the visa (for Pakistan at a time like this).”

NDTV, which already has a reporter in New York, also is very keen on sending its reporters to the places where international media is waiting for anything to happen any moment, but hasn’t got the visas yet.

Zee News head Sanjay Pugalia said: “Zee has applied for a visa to Pakistan. We’ll send a reporter as soon as we get the visa.” In the next few days, Zee is expected to strengthen its presence in the US also.

National broadcaster, Doordarshan, which hasn’t had a correspondent in Pakistan for the last four years or so due to diplomatic reasons, is also in the race to send its team to Pakistan, from where it could move on to the Afghanistan border. DD is all set to apply for visas to Pakistan, but is apprehensive it might not get the same. Calling the Pakistani Embassy a difficult wall to cross, a DD source said: “We’re not sure that they’ll respond to our application.”

In a crunch, DD may try sending its team to Pakistan by road, the source added. Interestingly, sometimes getting a visa for Pakistan is easier when one is travelling by road, according to the source. Since Indian journalists would go to defence installations and not just sit in hotel rooms, Pakistan is even more sensitive about issuing visas now, the source added. Meanwhile, BBC has Susannah Price and Lyse Doucet in Islamabad and Adam Mynott in Torkham (Pak-Afghan border), and CNN has Nic Robertson in the region, to name some. And till the time Indian media can register its presence there, they’ll make do with news feed from others.

Star from Fox, CNBC from MSNBC, Zee from CNN, Aaj Tak from Associated Press Television Network and DD from CNN, to name a few arrangements. Similarly, most newspapers may have to make do with international agency reports from Pakistan or Afghanistan.