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| Geo blocked, govt clueless |
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
KARACHI: Transmission of Geo New was blocked in most parts of the Karachi and several other cities across Sindh on Monday, the network said. “Geo transmission is stopped on cable in Karachi,” the network reported.
Geo said its transmission was also stopped in several other cities of Sindh including Hyderabad, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas. It said the authorities were not giving any reasons for the closure.
Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri said she was unaware of the closure adding the action has not been taken by the People’s Party government. “It is surprising, sad and condemnable,” Marri told Geo television. She said the government has not issued any such instructions (to close Geo News transmission).
In Islamabad, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) denied any role in the closure and said it is holding an inquiry. Pemra in a press release said it has taken a very serious note of suspension of the distribution of its licensed channels “Geo News” and “ARY One World” on November 17, on cable TV networks in Karachi and some areas of the interior Sindh.
“Pemra got the transmission restored immediately and has taken prompt action against the defaulting cable operators,” the press release said. It said show cause notices have been issued to them and necessary investigation is underway.
“This is to assure all concerned that the Authority shall ensure strict legal action against the violators”, Pemra said. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that he will take strict notice of banning the transmission of private TV channels in Sindh as soon as he returns to Islamabad.
While talking to the media at Quetta airport, the PM said that the government has cancelled all the black laws, which were claiming the freedom of the media. He said that he did not know the reason why the transmission was banned. However he would ask the Ministry of Information regarding the issue.
The premier said that Pakistan People’s Party sacrifies a lot for the freedom of the judiciary and the media. When ex-president Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency in the country, the martyred Chairperson of the PPP, Benazir Bhutto, arrived in Pakistan within three hours and called for the meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the party.
He said the meeting of the Central Executive Committee was held three times in 10 days to formulate modalities for the freedom of media and situation of emergency. The PM said that during the Long March, for the freedom of media and judiciary, he himself was arrested and his house was declared a sub-jail and after such sacrifice he could not allow anyone to hold hostage the freedom of the media.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman said on Monday that the government had not ordered to stop the transmissions of any channel. She said closure of transmissions is the negation of the government’s policies about freedom of the media. She said the government is investigating the reasons behind the disconnection of Geo programmes.
PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain condemned the closure of Geo’s service and demanded its restoration. Geo and other news channels were shut down on November 17, 2007, when former president Pervez Musharraf had declared emergency in the country.
Geo television reported that other channels of Geo network were also shut in Karachi and other cities.
Our correspondent from Lahore adds: Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Qazi Hussain Ahmad has condemned the blockage of transmission of several private news channels, including Geo and ARY, in Sindh.
In a statement issued on Monday, Qazi cited some reports that the blockage was a conspiracy hatched by the Sindh government’s political ally, which was pressurising the cable operators. He said such a condemnable action was tantamount to suppressing the freedom of the press. He demanded of the government to take immediate action and restore the transmission of the affected news channels.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
