New Pakistani television channels pushing new political, social boundaries

The scars around her eyes were visible even before the young Pakistani woman lifted her veil, showing TV viewers the burns suffered when her husband doused her with kerosene and set her on fire. Such a spectacle until recently would have been too shocking for Pakistani television.

But two private cable-TV channels — one beamed into Pakistan from the nearby United Arab Emirates, the other broadcasting in Pakistan — have been pushing the boundaries of television programming since they started airing in 2002.

Violence against women, government corruption and the flash-point issue of Kashmir have been debated more openly, while entertainment shows have begun to poke more fun at politicians and the ruling elite…