Mast Qalandar
Geo News is back on cable TV in Pakistan! It was banned along with two other popular TV channels on November 3 last year when Emergency was imposed in the country.
We don’t know on what conditions the channel has been allowed to operate again. We also don’t know how much dent the 77-day ban must have made in the profitability of the news company — it must be pretty huge — or to the livelihood of the journalists working for it.
But we do know that the ban made a huge dent in the government’s credibility and the image of “enlightened moderation” that it was so eager to project. It also left in its wake numerous angry messages and slogans on the wallboards outside the Geo office in Islamabad. They do give you a flavor of the general feelings prevailing at the time in a large segment of the civil society.
The photos with this post are here for you to decipher them, enjoy them, add to them, or ignore them.
Photos for this article are taken by the author himself. His full collection can be seen here.
In spite the recent wrinkles in media freedom, I believe the media remain freer and far more pervasive than ever in Pakistan’s history. I have never such breathless criticism of the government and the president in the burgeoning electronic and print media as well the as Pakistani blogosphere. Let’s enjoy it while it lasts. Let’s not vote people in who have a terrible track record in this regard. This will ensure that we can continue this new tradition of media freedom, regardless of whether the media are truthful, fair or not. Let people learn to sort out the truth for themselves.
I dont think politicians or dictators(current and previous) have any respect for common people. They think the power is a god given gift to them. I wish I could take the word “HUKMARANO” out of the vocabulory of pakistani people.They are not the “hukmarans” THEY ARE PUBLIC SERVANTS! Please find a new title for them that suits their status.
How come on a high profile forum like this there can be views to call Hamid Mir an Indian agent? How come members here come out and say that PPP is out to ‘break’ Pakistan? How comes some members of our educated class propose keeping GEO banned and punished? And for what crimes? How come some people, while defending Musharraf, just can’t hide their hatred of the ‘Bhutto’ name and drag Benazir even into this? Is it not enough that her father was illegally hanged? Is it not enough that she has sacrificed her life by coming back to Pakistan instead of enjoying her alleged $1.5 BILLION (American Dollars)?
But I am going to -try- to move away from the bitter-tone and, perhaps, rationalize by saying that while General Zia may have died he lives through the anti-Bhutto people and that that is a ‘fact of life’ and that there will always be people who would like to beat up journalists/lawyers, shutdown news sources, and sack judges like Javed Iqbal, Bhagwandas, and Ch. Iftikhar.
Some of you are far-worse than the Talibans of the 90s or their ideological cousins of 2008 who ban girls from going to public schools. That you got some ‘education’, enough to come to this Blog, using sophisticated resources of research and analysis makes it even more painful.
PS. When you are done lynching Hamid Mir or Kamran Khan, who will be next ‘traitor’ journalist? After having killed BB, who is your next target politician? Have you offered flowers at Zia’s grave lately? You better, for he is happy and smiling and thanking you from above.
Never say or do anything out of emotions, you will be sorry in the end. When emotions and passions run high, take a step back, breath and then act.
Poems and poetrys are good as a hobby in your leisure time, not a good strategy in practical life.
Wested Interests even in Breaking the news !
@ Listen to the priorities of Geo ” Breaking News”
Las Vegas : fire in a local Hotel Monte-Carlo !
Nato Commander and Pak-Army General discussing
Fata’s development !!
Geo has become Lunatic. zin-zin