27 January 2012 Last updated at 07:04 ET

Pakistan PM Gilani 'wants BBC World News back on air'

Yousuf Raza Gilani talks to the BBC's Nik Gowing

The Pakistani Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, has said he wants to see BBC World News back on cable television in his country after the recent ban.

He told the BBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he was "absolutely in favour of giving more freedom" to the media.

"We definitely... want the BBC to be operating in Pakistan," he said.

Pakistani cable operators blocked the channel in November in protest at a documentary entitled Secret Pakistan.

In its two-part documentary, the BBC had questioned Pakistan's commitment to tackling Taliban militancy, arguing that some in Pakistan were playing a double game.

The All Pakistan Cable Operators Association said other foreign channels broadcasting "anti-Pakistan" material had been warned that they too would be blocked.