National

Prasar Bharati to shift Dubai bureau to Kabul

By Anita Joshua

NEW DELHI JUNE 3. In view of the increasing political influence of India in Afghanistan, the Prasar Bharati is planning to shift its Dubai bureau to Kabul as part of the ongoing effort to rationalise the administrative and news set-up.

While the enhanced geo-political significance of Afghanistan and Central Asia is being cited as the reason for this shift, the decision has also been influenced by the extensive coverage that is given to the West Asia crisis — the main preoccupation of the Dubai bureau — by international news channels like the BBC and the CNN.

With the BBC and the CNN reaching most urban Indian homes via satellite, the decision to pack up the Dubai office has, in fact, been in the pipeline for a while. While both channels offer equally extensive coverage of Afghanistan also, the Indian stakes in the new regime and India's involvement in the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country have created a market for having AIR/Doordarshan's own person in Kabul.

When the decision to shift the Dubai office was initially taken, the first option was Tashkent to have a presence in Central Asia where India has always had an interest. But with the fall of the Taliban and the setting up of a friendly government in Afghanistan, Kabul became the obvious choice.

Also, according to the Prasar Bharati officials, the Kabul bureau would be able to monitor Pakistan. "Since 1995, we have not been able to place anyone in Pakistan because successive governments have denied us access.

The Kabul office, therefore, will have the additional mandate of Pakistan,'' said an official on conditions of anonymity.

Add to the geo-political importance of Afghanistan the prospect of a number of Indians heading towards Kabul and other Afghan cities as part of the capacity-building effort, and the Prasar Bharati has a case for having its own person "right where the news is''.

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