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The army is considered to be one of Pakistan's shrewdest commercial operators, running bakeries, factories and even expanding into tourism.
It has been bitterly criticised for aggressively pursuing such lucrative ventures, but its latest foray into the corporate world may be of some use to its battle against militancy in Pakistan's restive north-west.
The army has a radio station - FM 96 was set up to counter militant propaganda in the Swat Valley, but it is now expanding its broadcasts into the semi-autonomous tribal belt.
Many in Pakistan are still suspicious of the power of the military, which has ruled the country for more than half of its history.
But Pakistan's far north-west presents a particularly intractable challenge - it is a region renowned for its complex rivalries, power struggles and the changing loyalties of various tribal groups.
Maulana Fazlullah was the Taliban commander for Swat region who spearheaded their uprising in this northern scenic valley in 2009.
He later fled to the mountainous Pakistan-Afghanistan border following an army offensive to clear militants from Swat. His current whereabouts are unknown. He is thought to have lost a leg after being badly injured in fighting with Pakistani security forces in 2009.
Fazlullah won fame and gained influence as "Mullah Radio" in 2007-2008 for broadcasting his sermons live through FM transmitters in and around the Swat valley. He installed several dozen FM transmitters and used them to spread his message.
Some, after listening to his sermons, threw their television sets out because he described them as "un-Islamic". Many Swatis grew beards because of his lectures.
FM 96 was first set up around the time that the army launched a huge military offensive to win back control of Swat from the Taliban, which had swept to power in the once peaceful and lush valley. The Taliban had been running radio stations for some time - the brainchild of notorious Taliban cleric, Maulana Fazlullah.
Hence,Known as "Maulana Radio", Fazlullah used to run a network of FM frequencies in the region to preach extremist Islamic views. The stations aired Islamic programmes and sermons of religious leaders. Appeals for donations were regularly made.
The same phenomenon can be witnessed in Afghanistan, where the Taliban broadcast from makeshift radio stations.
"Pakistan's state institutions decided to respond to the propaganda aired by Maulana Fazlullah in Swat. For security reasons it was not possible to do it without the army's involvement," says FM 96's chief executive Aqeel Malik, who is also a serving officer of the Pakistani army.
Although the army eventually triumphed, driving militants out and allowing the many thousands who fled their repressive regime to return, it was not long before the army itself stood accused of abuses such as extra-judicial killings.
The army strenuously denied all such accusations, but mistrust between the security forces and the population has lingered.
The region is still at the centre of a propaganda duel as Maulana Fazlullah was never caught and militants continue to broadcast propaganda from a number of radio stations.
The army's radio station seeks to soften the image of the all-powerful security forces and the army is clearly hoping it can extend this image to the tribal areas.
Referance:-BBC News - Pakistan's army steps up radio wars
It has been bitterly criticised for aggressively pursuing such lucrative ventures, but its latest foray into the corporate world may be of some use to its battle against militancy in Pakistan's restive north-west.
The army has a radio station - FM 96 was set up to counter militant propaganda in the Swat Valley, but it is now expanding its broadcasts into the semi-autonomous tribal belt.
Many in Pakistan are still suspicious of the power of the military, which has ruled the country for more than half of its history.
But Pakistan's far north-west presents a particularly intractable challenge - it is a region renowned for its complex rivalries, power struggles and the changing loyalties of various tribal groups.
Maulana Fazlullah was the Taliban commander for Swat region who spearheaded their uprising in this northern scenic valley in 2009.
He later fled to the mountainous Pakistan-Afghanistan border following an army offensive to clear militants from Swat. His current whereabouts are unknown. He is thought to have lost a leg after being badly injured in fighting with Pakistani security forces in 2009.
Fazlullah won fame and gained influence as "Mullah Radio" in 2007-2008 for broadcasting his sermons live through FM transmitters in and around the Swat valley. He installed several dozen FM transmitters and used them to spread his message.
Some, after listening to his sermons, threw their television sets out because he described them as "un-Islamic". Many Swatis grew beards because of his lectures.
FM 96 was first set up around the time that the army launched a huge military offensive to win back control of Swat from the Taliban, which had swept to power in the once peaceful and lush valley. The Taliban had been running radio stations for some time - the brainchild of notorious Taliban cleric, Maulana Fazlullah.
Hence,Known as "Maulana Radio", Fazlullah used to run a network of FM frequencies in the region to preach extremist Islamic views. The stations aired Islamic programmes and sermons of religious leaders. Appeals for donations were regularly made.
The same phenomenon can be witnessed in Afghanistan, where the Taliban broadcast from makeshift radio stations.
"Pakistan's state institutions decided to respond to the propaganda aired by Maulana Fazlullah in Swat. For security reasons it was not possible to do it without the army's involvement," says FM 96's chief executive Aqeel Malik, who is also a serving officer of the Pakistani army.
Although the army eventually triumphed, driving militants out and allowing the many thousands who fled their repressive regime to return, it was not long before the army itself stood accused of abuses such as extra-judicial killings.
The army strenuously denied all such accusations, but mistrust between the security forces and the population has lingered.
The region is still at the centre of a propaganda duel as Maulana Fazlullah was never caught and militants continue to broadcast propaganda from a number of radio stations.
The army's radio station seeks to soften the image of the all-powerful security forces and the army is clearly hoping it can extend this image to the tribal areas.
Referance:-BBC News - Pakistan's army steps up radio wars
