The United States (US) on Friday urged Pakistan to lift a ban on US-funded Radio Mashaal, reported BBC Urdu.

The US Department of State’s spokesperson Heather Nauert said the US was concerned about the ban and that Washington had informed Islamabad about their concerns and demanded their decision be overturned. 

The Pashto language broadcaster, linked to the US-funded Radio Free Europe, was ordered on the directions of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to be shut down last week, Pakistan’s Express Tribune reported. 

According to the report, a notification issued by the ministry said that as per an ISI report, the radio programs were found against the interests of Pakistan. 

It said that the four main themes of the programs aired by the service included “portraying Pakistan as a hub of terrorism and safe haven for militant groups, propagating Pakistan as a failed state in terms of providing security to its minorities and Pakhtuns, presenting the Pakhtuns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Balochistan as being disenchanted with the state, and distorting facts to incite people against state and its institutions”.

In light of this, Islamabad moved to close the radio’s regional office and terminate its activities, Pakistan’s Express Tribune reported. 

The Czech-based Radio Free Europe first began its services in FATA in 2010 with the name of Radio Mashaal with the aim of providing “an alternative to the growing number of extremist radio stations in the region”.