Pakistan's television regulatory body has declared 11 Christian TV stations as illegal, prompting officials to order the censorship of these programs.

(Reuters/Faisal Mahmood) Members of the media and residents gather outside a mosque near the locked family house of Rimsha Masih, a Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy, on the outskirts of Islamabad August 23, 2012.

The Pakistani Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) recently declared 11 Christian television stations as illegal and accused them of not having permission to broadcast. For the first time in almost 20 years, Pakistani believers have no public media presence because of the ban, India Today notes.

Because PEMRA does not issue licenses for religious or Christian programs and messages except on Christmas and Easter, most of Pakistan's pro-Christian channels are reportedly based in other countries.

In response to PEMRA's latest move, the founder of one of the banned TV stations released a statement urging a protest against the decision. Catholic TV founder Fr. Morris Jalal said the move to block Christian's right to practice their faith sends out the message that not all citizens in Pakistan are equal, The Express UK relays.

"As citizens, Christians have the right to practice their religion, but if they block you, it means not all citizens are equal," said Fr. Jalal. "When someone bans the expression of faith, which is a fundamental right, there is persecution."

"We must protest this decision, and we hope the West does it as well," Fr. Jalal added.

For Fr. Mushtaq Anjum, PEMRA's action made evangelism illegal. He also described the move as a "discriminatory law that affects non-Muslims."

Meanwhile, other local Christians have called on the Pakistani government to revoke the ban on the Christian TV stations. They called PEMRA's move an "act of intimidation" and an assault toward religious liberty.

Last month, the Pakistan Minorities Alliance (PMA) staged a demonstration outside the United Nations (UN) headquarters in Geneva to highlight the plight of religious minorities including Christians in Pakistan. The protesters called for the persecution of minorities to stop, Christians in Pakistan details.

Among the issues being raised by the participants of the PMA rally are the discrimination, persecution, forced conversion, oppressive blasphemy charges, and attacks on churches that minorities in Pakistan continue to face.