A newly-opened Bradford television station has run into a political storm less than 24 hours after it began broadcasting.

Aapna Channel has had the plug pulled in a key region of the world after one of its first stories upset the authorities in Azad Kashmir.

Aapna, which means mine', went on the air last month but soon ran into controversy.

It is run in Bradford by a staff of 15 from studios in Sunbridge Road and the Carlisle Business Centre.

It also broadcasts from studios across the globe, including one in Mirpur in Azad Kashmir. Aapna's chairman Asad Hassan, of Tyersal, Bradford, said the new station broadcast across the world to millions of viewers.

Mr Hassan, 43, a journalist and father-of-three, said Aapna was the first Kashmiri channel and the first to broadcast in the Pahari/Pothohai language.

The round-the-clock cultural, social and news station, is 30 per cent English language, 60-65 per cent Pahari and the rest in Urdu and other languages.

A large number of British Pakistanis originated from Azad Kashmir where the blackout is imposed.

Mr Hassan said: "This is a big loss because we look at ourselves as a bridge between the two communities. At any one time there are 30,000 British Kashmiris visiting that area and we keep them in touch with what is happening in Bradford and the rest of the UK."

He said that cable TV operators in the region were forced to end coverage after pressure from the authorities.

Trouble sparked over Aapna's coverage of events following the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry by Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf.

Mr Hassan said the Azad Kashmir police phoned the Mirpur studio threatening grave consequences' if the channel was not switched off.

The call was followed by a visit by officers to the station when staff were harassed, Mr Hassan said. "They said we were an illegal station broadcasting from abroad and must shut down. They were unable to pull the plug themselves so they went to the cable operators," he said.

Mr Hassan said a backlash from the community in Azad Kashmir included hunger strikes and demonstrations.

Those who could still watch the channel on satellite were airing feelings worldwide.

Mr Hassan said the British Kashmiri and Pakistani community in Bradford were protesting.

The Pakistan media says other news providers have been targeted since Mr Chaudhry's suspension on March 9. "Amid the mushrooming growth of independent television channels, pulling the plug on troublesome examples is also becoming more frequent," says one world news internet site.