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Basharat Peer in New Delhi.
Heaps of letters from Afghanistan and Pakistan are gathering dust inside the All India Radio's Pushto service office. But the broadcasters are in no mood even to have a dekko at what their listeners have to say.
It is the fear of anthrax that holds them back.
Those associated with the Pushto service, which airs news, analysis, commentaries and entertainment-based programmes to audience in Afghanistan and Pakistan, are scared that some bigot from across the border, who may not have been happy with their analyses or commentaries, may have sent a letter laced with anthrax.
The fear stems from the fact that the commentaries and analyses have a strong pro-India tilt. The Pushtoons, who form the support base of the Taleban, have a strong presence in Pakistan.
"Our analyses and commentaries present an Indian point of view. That's why we believe that someone in Pakistan or Afghanistan may not like it. And it is quite possible that one of these letters may be an anthrax carrier," an official told rediff.com on condition of anonymity.
"Although the post September 11 letters can provide insights into the feelings of our Pushtoon listeners, nobody wants to touch them," he added.
The Pushto service, although unknown in India, was established in 1939. It is quite popular in Afghanistan, and Baluchistan and North West Frontier Province in Pakistan.
The official claimed that even during the Taleban's rule over Afghanistan, the service received around 3,500 letters from listeners every month, while in the pre-Taleban era, the number would cross 8,000.
Since the September11 terror attacks in the US and the subsequent strikes on Afghanistan, the Pushto service has been doling out commentaries about the prevailing situation and has added a programme exclusively focused on Afghanistan.
The anthrax fear affects the Pushto service's interaction with its listeners, especially at a time when the Indian foreign policy planners are planning to use it as 'the medium' to reach out to the Afghan people.
ALSO SEE The Complete Coverage: America's War on Afghanistan The Complete Coverage: The Attack on US Cities
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