| November
17, 2007 |
| Musharraf
shuts down Geo TV |
ISLAMABAD:
Geo News, Pakistan’s premier Urdu news channel, also seen round the
world as the main source of news and current affairs, was shut down
at 1 a.m. Pakistan time (12 midnight Dubai time) after President Pervez
Musharraf put tremendous pressure to silence a media outlet which
had refused to bow down to his dictates.
Sources said President Pervez Musharraf himself intervened to stop
all Geo News transmissions from Dubai, after a two-week standoff in
Pakistan during which all major news channels were shut down by cable
operators, who are directly controlled by the Pakistani authorities.
The closure of the Geo News was universally condemned by almost every
political party and member of the civil society minutes before the
anchors, almost in tears, signed off.
PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif told Dr. Shahid Masood on telephone
from London it was a tragic moment in Pakistan's history as the Musharraf
regime was bent upon destroying every symbol of free speech and democracy
in the country.
Makhdoon Amin Faheem, the PPP Vice Chairman, told the Geo News in
its dying moments that it would be a tragedy for the country and democracy
if Geo went off the air, which it did minutes later.
Lt. General Talat Masood, former Chief Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqi
and many others representing the civil society, who used to regularly
appear in Geo talk shows, expressed shock and disgust at the decision
to shut down Geo News.
Popular news anchors came on Geo News around midnight Pakistan time
to announce that the channel had been ordered to go off the air as
result of the continued deadlock between the Pakistani authorities
and the media channels, following the imposition of emergency in the
country.
In Pakistan, all Geo channels were blocked by the military regime
after the imposition of the emergency but on Friday two main channels,
Dawn News and AAJ were back on air, with AAJ announcing that its two
most popular talks shows, hosted by Talat Hussain, Nusrat Javeed and
Mushtaq Minhas, were suspended temporarily.
The Geo News was shut down because it had refused to budge. After
six years of objective and highly-professional telecasts, which earned
the channel the honour of being the most popular TV channel, the Government
of Pakistan put it off the air on Nov 4 after emergency was imposed.
The Geo News was under pressure from the day one. The government tried
to bring it down but the channel became a household name in Pakistan
and abroad and was declared by international observers as the most
seen TV channel.
Its role in the judicial crisis which started on March 9, when the
President filed a reference against the Chief Justice, was highly
applauded, both domestically and internationally.
Geo kept the whole world informed about the developments regarding
the events unfolding during the struggle of people of Pakistan for
restoration of dignity of the judiciary through its objective reporting
by giving all points of view. The programmes, talk shows and commentaries
produced by Geo created an impact and awareness among the people.
Sources said the government first asked the Geo administration to
stop the most popular programmes of popular TV hosts Dr. Shahid Masood,
Hamid Mir and Kamran Khan without offering any tangible reason why
they should be stopped.
After the success of the Chief Justice campaign all private news channels
were banned from telecasting live programmes and filming outside the
studios.
The media protested against the move and the government had to accept
its demands. The shows were allowed to continue but live coverage
was banned.
In the meanwhile General Pervez Musharraf kept on resorting to pressure
tactics and the Geo channels revenue sources were targeted.
Under his orders, all government advertisements were not only stopped
but other commercial advertisers were also pressurized not to give
business to Geo. The channel withstood all the pressures and suffered
huge losses. A statement submitted in the Sindh High Court on Friday
said almost Rs 1 billion was lost by the channel.
After the emergency, General Musharraf banned Geo and other channels
inside Pakistan. Geo withstood the pressure and refused to sign on
the dotted line.
The sources pointed out that the government under General Pervez Musharraf
enhanced its pressure on the media to regulate itself under the command
of the administration after the clamping of emergency.
The media was strangulated through an ordinance that placed restrictions
on its freedom that had no precedent. It was virtually made impossible
to carry on free journalism in the country in the presence of the
said ordinance.
A so-called code of conduct was thrust upon the media to follow without
any consultations with the journalist community. Private channels
were asked to sign an undertaking that would have made the channels
subservient to the authorities.
This was done after suspending all private channels of the country
and the channel administrations were asked to accept the conditions
and sign the document of undertaking.
They were told to accept provisional licenses instead of the permanent
ones they had. The earlier licenses were cancelled through the same
order. The sources said that General Pervez Musharraf asked the channels
to stop their current affairs programmes which were not acceptable
to him and demanded that anchorpersons should be fired.
The channels which signed the document were restored on the cable.
Some channels accepted the official advice while others refused to
follow. Geo declined to oblige General pervez Musharraf as the demands
included cooperation on all points which the new caretaker government
would bring up.
It was demanded that Geo should stop the objectionable current affairs
programmes and toe the official line. The authorities wanted that
the channel should cooperate with President General Pervez Musharraf.
The channel was further asked to submit all its programmes for monitoring
by government officials as no programme without clearance would not
be aired.
The sources said that Geo was first forbidden in Pakistan through
cable operators and then pressure was mounted through the authorities
concerned of the country from where it was being aired.
The channel was being seen at some places in the country through dish
antennas and internet but the government's technical experts first
tried to stop it on the internet and then a ban was placed on the
import of dish antenna and relevant equipment used for receiving direct
satellite signals.
The authorities in the host country had to ask the Geo News to stop
its telecast from their up-linking station under excruciating pressure
coming from the Government of Pakistan without considering its long-term
adverse impact on the image of the host country.
The authorities concerned while conveying the message of the Pakistan
Government to close down the channel, ridiculed the decision as they
had no experience of facing such a demand which was contrary to all
norms of decency and business in the modern time business culture,
the sources revealed.
At 1 am PST, Geo's voice was silenced by General Pervez Musharraf
as its anchors, almost in tears, bid farewell to its viewers throughout
the world. |
| |
| Politicians
condemn Geo closure |
LAHORE:
President General Pervez Musharraf, instead of validating his unconstitutional
position, was out to destroy everything that stood in his way, including
the Geo TV network, stated PML-N Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif, while reacting
to the orders to close the transmission of Geo TV network by the country
where it is based. Talking to Geo TV, in its last transmission before
closure, Mian Nawaz said, "Just like the threat from Supreme Court
was eliminated, the government is neutralizing Geo TV", while adding
that any government should have the courage to face criticism. This
is the government which bombs its own people when it wants to kill
some miscreants and is now going to eliminate the biggest television
network in the country just because it doesn't like a few people,
he added. Mian Nawaz said President Musharraf had requested to have
an audience with him in Dubai, but "I declined because I cannot compromise
on the rights of the people." He said the entire nation was saddened
by this step while saying that it would not be long that Geo TV would
be back.
PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto, when contacted by The News for comments,
was not available. However, her close aides on her behalf stated that
it would be pre-emptive for Ms Bhutto to comment beforehand. "We will
wait and see when it happens." Senator Latif Khosa, talking to The
News, condemned any such move while assuring the support of PPP for
the affected party. He said the PPP would not let it happen.
PML-N head Mian Shahbaz Sharif, talking to The News, condemned the
closure of Geo TV while adding that President Musharraf was pushing
the country towards disaster. "First, he hit out at lawyers, then
targeted judiciary and placed curbs on the media for his own purposes",
he said. Terming the closure of Geo TV as another barbaric act, Shahbaz
said, "Now, he has committed this barbaric act and a very important
medium of information for the society, especially during this crisis
situation, has been eliminated by the regime". "It is a big threat
for journalism, and the nation will resist it", Shahbaz vowed, while
saying the PML-N vows to fight for media along with the whole nation.
He said if no one stood up for the freedom of press today, then the
future generations would never be free.
Justice (r) Wajihuddin, talking to The News, said it was regrettable
while adding the Jang Group of publications was being targeted because
it was the largest group and government wanted to make an example
for all others just like it did with the lawyer community and Supreme
Court. "They want to instill fear in the hearts of all their opponents
now that elections are near", he said.
They are using the same formula that was employed for the deportation
of Mian Nawaz Sharif, he said, while adding there was no truth in
the allegations leveled against media in general by the current regime. |
| |
| Charged
Geo employees come out on roads |
KARACHI:
A spontaneous protest rally was taken out from the Jang office to
the Governor House late Friday night when the news broke about the
total closure of the Geo News.
Hundreds of shocked and greatly upset employees of Geo, including
female employees, staged the protest demonstration, which started
from the Jang office and culminated near the Governor House.
The police put mobiles in front of the procession but the charged
journalists crossed the blockades. The employees were shouting slogans,
“Geo aur Jeeney do, hum cheen kar lengey azadi”
A large police force with a number of police mobile vans was deployed
all the way to the Governor House.
The rally peacefully culminated with no untoward incident taking place.
However, minor scuffles between some Geo employees and police personnel
broke out.
Secretary General Association of TV Journalists announced on the occasion
that a rally would be taken out from the Karachi Press Club to the
Jang offices on Saturday afternoon, where the KUJ would set up a protest
camp. |
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