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.
INTERESTING ARTICLE IN DAWN BY AYAZ AMIR ( In case anyone missed it…)
Summer of discontent, season of hope
By Ayaz Amir
PITY the Q League, the latest target of Gen Pervez Musharraf’s wrath. When did it ever pretend to be a real political party? Now Musharraf wants it to behave like one. It’s like expecting a plant in a hothouse to grow overnight into a mighty oak.
“I bluntly say,â€
Islamabad – A Pakistani lawyer who vanished this week after filing a court case against government officials over the recent violence in Karachi claimed Friday that unknown kidnappers tortured him in retribution and dumped him on the street.
Iqbal Kazmi had held the chief minister of the southern Sindh province, Arbab Rahim, and other high officials responsible for the May 12 violence between government supporters and opposition activists that claimed 41 lives.
‘Unknown gunmen abducted me at gunpoint on June 6 as I was on my way home,’ he told journalists after local police found him lying in bushes near a railway station in the southern port city.
Kazmi claimed his abductors wanted to punish him for his criticism of the authorities and also threatened to murder his family if he did not leave the city within five days.
‘They beat me up several times and burned me with cigarettes on my back, chest and genitals, asking how I could dare to challenge the government,’ he said.
The kidnappers also wanted to know whether Kazmi was linked with opposition leader Imran Khan, a prominent critic of the national and provincial government.
Khan last month came into further conflict with the pro-Musharraf Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) that rules Karachi when he accused the group of playing a leading role in the violence.
Clashes erupted as Pakistan’s suspended chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry arrived in the city to address lawyers. More than 150 people were also injured, many of them suffering gunshot wounds.
The former cricket star and head of Tehrik-i-Insaf, or Movement for Justice Party, is currently consulting legal experts in London before filing a terrorism case against Altaf Hussain, the head of the MQM.
Hussain is a British citizen and runs the party from its head office in the capital.
M&C
Kamran. The amazing thing is that Geo got it’s TV license because of it’s support for MQM in Jang News.
DAWN on the other hand has always been critical of MQM and never has given much coverage to the self proclaimed King of kings “Altaf Hussain” and hence never got the approval from Musharraf Bhai.
Today Geo has become the front line channel for a great cause!
Is there a lesson here for our rulers? Maybe;
“What is true for Gujrati’s or Gujrat or Chaudry’s is not true for everyone”
Aqil Sajjad
Correction. I got the article in my e mail as a result of mass mailing. The personal message might very well have been from Dr Siddiqa. I enjoyed reading it and wanted to share the contents.
Don’t know how one can boycott their products; Sohna Urea (Kissan cannot do without it), Defence Societies, Askari Villas, NLC etc…
In an interview with Kamran Khan, Dr Siddiqa talked about China’s case study where in one stroke the Chinese Govt passed a law and the state took over all the holdings of military industrial empire. The Chinese decided that military should only do what it is hired to do.
Very strange for a Communist country!
A strong parliament in Pakistan can eventually do this but they themselves have to be above board… (people who live in glass houses cannot afford to throw stones on others….). I think we should take one step at a time; support media freedom, support freedom of judiciary. These two in time will guarantee accountability and building pressure on such institutions.
The errors and loopholes in the counter affidavits filed by Musharraf’s cronies are exposed by Aitzaz Ahsan in this clip from capital talk. The incredulous look on Hamid Mir’s face is quite funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSVZyCXhp0Y