Live broadcasting banned from site of bin Laden’s death

Rebecca Hawkes | 09-05-2011

Pakistani authorities have barred international media from broadcasting live from the garrison town of Abbottabad - the scene of Osama bin Laden’s death – and requested the TV crews leave the area.

The Pakistan Electronic Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) said it had "stopped the foreign satellite TV channels from illegal uplinking of signals and live covering (of) news from Abbottabad", according to the Press Trust of India.

Unlimited media access had initially been granted to the compound where US Special Forces killed the head of Al Qaeda in a pre-dawn raid on 2 May. Now, both the former home of Bin Laden and the nearby town and its elite military academy are reportedly off limits for major news broadcasters including BBC, CNN, NBC, Al Jazeera, Sky News, Fox News and Voice of America.

A statement from PEMRA said the channels had been issued ‘show cause’ notices and asked to stop “their illegal activity immediately”.

“PEMRA, being a regulator, is steadfast in discharging its regulatory responsibility and ensuring [a] level playing field for all stakeholders,” the statement continued.

Foreign journalists wishing to stay in the town, which is 120km from Islamabad, have reportedly been told they now need permission from the Interior Ministry or the army’s public relations wing.