Adil Najam
News is that GEO Network is closing down. I hope the news is a false alarm, but I am told that this has been announced on Geo TV itself. An email making the rounds from someone at GEO itself reads:
At this moment we here at Geo are extremely SAD as Geo network is forced to shut down due to Govt pressure on UAE our base country.
Insha Allah we will fight. We are proud that the management of Jang Group never made compromise and prefer to fight till death.
I would rather wait to hear more details and to see reaction to this from the government, from the people of Pakistan and also the rest of the world before I comment in detail. But my first reaction is, yet again, one of disgust. The things that we coudl have been most proud of in recent years and months – an assertive judiciary, a free media – are being snatched away one by one. I hope it turns out not to be so. But if so, then who next?
Original Post (Nov. 4, 2007):
The emergency declared by Gen. Pervez Musharraf yesterday was not surprising. But that does not make it any less disturbing. Amongst the many unspeakable actions that have resulted from this is a clampdown on the media, especially the electronic news media. In response, GEO News has made the audio stream of its transmissions available on line.
You can listen to GEO News by clicking on image below.
Windows Media Player or VLC is required to play this live audio.
Iam surprsied that Dubai government has ordered the news channel to shut down their broadcast on the pressure from Pakistan government. Geo Office is registered in Dubai media city where there are offices of Reuters, BBC, CNN, MBC Ten sports and others.I dont understand hoe can they do that when they are posing themselves as an international city and it put serious doubts about the fate of all the multinational companies and media operating form Dubai.
ali raza wrote ‘the ISI better pay me’
It is issue of check and balance. When they(agencies) will come for us, who is going to speak for us.
Free media and judionary arethe most important pillars of a civilized country.
Geo defies tyrant Musharraf. Catch live streaming audio here:
mms://stream.wmlivesvc.vitalstreamcdn.com/live_str eam_geo_tv_GeoAud
They’ll get up and running from London or Singapore in a few days.
This is one of the saddest days in Pakistan, most of them obviously happened in this General’s time. I have become so hopeless now that I have even stopped visiting ATP or any other news websites or TV stations. Like most patriotic Pakistanis, these conditions prevailing in our beloved homeland makes me feel very disturbed and agitated. The worst thing is that any medium whether its judiciary, media or anything else that tries to bring forward some kind of accountability or justice, gets kicked out. How is this possible in this high-tech and well informed world of today, to shut down a very well-presented TV station like GEO? Even if the ‘orders’ are coming from outside, have their minds become so rusty that they cannot foresee whats coming ahead??? how much more damage are they planning to do? the kind of destruction these guys have done to the country is almost becoming irreversible!
This is so unfortunate that despite having the best resources, our leaders have volunteered and opted the way for destruction. The strongest institution in the country is totally being ruined, or I’d say on the verge of it.
Someone said once, if you want to destabilize India, break their democracy and if you want to destabilize Pakistan, break their Army.