By Zaffar Abbas BBC correspondent in Islamabad

After more than five decades of complete control over broadcasting, the Pakistani Government is liberalising its media policy by allowing the establishment of private radio and TV stations.

Competition from across the border in India may eventually compel the government to make the domestic electronic media completely free

Several companies have been issued licences to set up radio stations and those intending to run private TV channels have been promised them in the coming months.

The new policy, which echoes India's policy switch several years ago, may eventually end the monopoly of the state over news and electronic media.

The response has also stunned many people in the government.

Competition

In the first phase, nearly 100 people applied for licences and after assessing their financial status, 22 companies have been given permission to set up FM radio stations.

Initially the stations will only be allowed to run music and entertainment programmes - but a senior official said that at a later stage they might be given permission to broadcast news.

Satellite channels based in Dubai and the UK are popular

Though the policy also allows the setting up of private TV channels, a more cautious approach is being adopted in this area.

The government says it may soon give permission to seven new TV stations, but it is not clear if the private companies that are planning to set up independent news channels will get a licence.

The government's media managers are worried about the popularity of Pakistani satellite TV channels that are broadcasting news from Dubai and the UK and are reluctant to give them uplinking facilities within the country.

But pressure is growing and media experts say that competition from across the border in India may eventually compel the government to make the domestic electronic media completely free.