Darwaish
UPDATE: Nov. 3, 2007: Emergency Declared in Pakistan.
UPDATE: Nov. 4, 2007: Media Gagged. Listen to Geo News here.
In my last post, I mentioned that Electronic Media is under siege and many programs are likely to be banned. But I was not expecting it to happen so soon. Geo News transmission have been completely shut down in most parts of the country and Aaj TVvhas disappeared from my cable at least (WorldCall Cable, Lahore).
I don’t know if Aaj TV has been completely banned or not. It happened while I was watching Dr. Shahid Masood’s Mere Mutabiq. Muslim League (Q)’s own Vice President Kabir Wasti was strongly criticizing General Musharaf, holding him responsible for the judicial crises when suddenly Geo News was shut down. I thought that its a temporary ban and transmission will be back as soon as Dr. Shahid’s program is over but its been several hours now and still no signs of Geo or Aaj coming back on my cable. A friend of mine sent me this SMS from Karachi that Geo News disappeared from most parts of the Sindh around 8 o clock too during Imran Khan’s interview in another program Jawab De.
Geo News website has this to say:
The government has blocked the transmission of the Geo News TV channel across the country due to the reasons best known to them. The viewers calls flooded the Geo office to ask that why the transmission of Geo News TV channel was suddenly suspended when the famous programme, “Meray Mutabik” was going on air.
The calls from the viewers were received from various parts of the country. According to Geo News sources the government has blocked the transmission of the Geo News. Geo transmission was blocked in various parts of Islamabad, Lahore, Hyderabad, Karachi and other areas. The citizens, social and political circles have condemned the ban on transmission of Geo News and they have demanded of the government to immediately lift ban on the transmission of the Geo News and give complete freedom to media in the country.
I am unable to understand why this step has been taken but lets wait and see the official reason which will surely be Afwaje Pakistan ke khilaaf baat ki gaye hai. I suspect the title of Dr. Shahid’s program Idaro Ka Takrao – Fatah Kiski Ho Gi (Clash of Institutions – Who Will be Victorious) must have caused concerns among people sitting in Information Ministry aka Mr. Ghalat Biyani.
Whatever government says but I thought it was a very interesting program and a healthy discussion going on when some wise men decided to shut it down. I hope the ban is lifted soon and government shows some common sense. Like they say in Urdu, Kuch Hosh Ke Nakhun Lo Bhai. Whatever happened to those free media and freedom of press claims :). This is yet another direct attack on freedom of expression and truly a shameful act and should be strongly condemned. I am afraid Dr. Shahid Masood will be in trouble once again for not being afraid, for speaking his mind and saying what is in hearts of millions of ordinary Pakistanis.
Editorial, The News, June 6, 2007
Arbitrary & unjust
It seems that the government is readying itself for a war on the media, particularly the electronic one, in the country. This is most unfortunate and troubling given that it already has one problematic front — the ongoing judicial crisis with the legal community up in arms against it — to deal with. What else can one make of the several amendments announced by the government on Tuesday in the laws regulating the electronic media? Coming in the midst of the judicial crisis and increasing pressure being applied by the government on the print and electronic media on coverage of the crisis and its related rallies and protests, the changes have been made via a presidential ordinance, just a few days before the National Assembly was to meet in session. In this context, it would be fair to say that the sole aim of the changes is to bring the media in general, and the electronic one in particular, to a point of submission.
The changes themselves go against the very spirit of natural justice which demands that before the state or one of its agencies takes any punitive action against a non-state entity for violation of the law, the latter be given adequate warning about such action. Furthermore, the right to lodge an appeal against and question any such action is an intrinsic part of the due process of law. Also, another important element of natural justice, contained in the maxim ‘audi alteram partem’ — that the other side’s view must also be heard — has been violated by the changes. How else does the government justify increasing the penalty ten-fold, authorising the state electronic media regulator, PEMRA, to confiscate equipment, seal the premises of TV channels or cancel a channel’s licence without referring the matter first to a council of complaints (as envisaged under legislation that Tuesday’s ordinance amended)?
Also, the government’s intention that pressure on the media is going to be further tightened is shown by bringing under PEMRA’s purview even video images relayed on mobile phones and the Internet. This shows panic on the part of the government in that it now wants to even control what people see on their mobile phones and the Internet. It is also an indication of how desperate it is to stamp out coverage of the rallies and protests related to the judicial crisis. In addition to this, PEMRA has been given, quite arbitrarily, sweeping authority to make rules and regulations from time to time to enforce the ordinance. This new proviso can always be used by this or any other government to further increase pressure on the electronic media.
Clearly, the signs — especially with this new ordinance — are ominous. There should be no doubt about the fact that the effects of this widening battle/confrontation with the media are going to be disastrous — for the country, for civil society and for the government as well. For starters, the international image of the government, which some have cultivated thanks to Pakistan’s participation in the US-led war against terrorism, is sure to take a battering (the US State Department has already commented on it, saying that the media should be able to carry out its job of reporting the judicial crisis). Further to that, and perhaps more importantly, whatever support that the government had among domestic public opinion is sure to diminish. That the changes were made by an ordinance, when there is an elected parliament, and when many PEMRA provisions were enacted as recent as February of this year, is a deathly blow to whatever democracy there is in Pakistan at this point in time.
Surely, the way forward out of the crisis is not to open another, potentially dangerous, front with the media. Those at the helm of affairs need to understand that (a) the crisis unfolding before it has not been initiated or manipulated by the media as it seems to sadly believe, that (b) curbs of the electronic and print media, in this day and age; and with public opinion generally in synch with the view that the crisis is of the government’s own making (and worsening by every passing day because its guiding principle seems to be the proverb ‘Cut your nose to spite your face’), are only going to exacerbate the situation and further lower the credibility of the government in the eyes of most Pakistanis as well as overseas observers; that (c) simply imposing stringent censorship and banning TV channels will not make the crisis disappear, for the simple reason that the media did not create it and (d) that the only way to defuse the situation is for the prime mover — i.e., the government — to take appropriate steps such as withdrawing the reference against the chief justice, reversing the media curbs and the president choosing either the post of army chief or president.
[quote comment=”52100″]Nasir, you got it right and so did you Adnan Ahmad. It is Shortcut. Another thing you would notice about him is he never looks you in the eyes when speaking.[/quote]
except if you are condi…then he looks really hard…:)
[quote comment=”51552″]Can someone also post General Aslam Beg’s interview on the same show. I missed that part, but from what I am reading about it, it seemed that he was equally critical.[/quote]
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FhL9ck9nBwo
Calls Shujaat Hussain a mad man, says one should stay as far away from him as possible.
Also says that (Musharraf’s) seeking a vote of confidence from core commanders is a sign of weakness.
“Pemra ordinance is useless,” Dr Sher Afgan Niazi.
http://daily.urdupoint.com/todayNewsLive.php?news_id=32139&featured=1&cat_id=2
On a seprate thread, today’s Kamran Khan program:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKOavTgsHnQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6Fs8qs7w7M
[quote comment=”52138″]Kruman, Regarding General Naqvi, it seems that Kamraan Khan is trying to mend the fences with the govt. Yesterday, he had General Zarrar, and today him. That is 2 generals in 2 days; can he keep the pace? He is just being tactful, trying to bring the channel back. He did the same thing last time when they banned his program. After pleading on tv for a few days, the first thing he did when he came back on, was to bring Musharraf on. That was an equally lame interview; watching it I was wondering why he wasn’t following up on his questions.[/quote]
Asad, I agree. I was too harsh on Kamran Khan.
Also, he is treating this like a long run rather than a 100 meter sprint, which is a smart thing to do.
Actually this is how Kamran Khan conducted todays program, first he brought on Naqvi and let him give his side. Then he brought on Fakhruddin G Ibrahim sahib whose wisdom dispelled the disinformation spread by Naqvi. Finally Kamran summarized the views of the two guests, and Naqvi looked like the one with no substance. The end by Kamran was masterful.