No reports of channel blockade in country: Kaira

ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Qamar-uz-Zaman Kaira has said that the government has not received any report about blockade of TV channel anywhere in the country.

He said that some cable operators had readjusted the placements of channels.

Journalists protest ban on Geo news in Abbotabad

ABBOTABAD: Journalists took out a protest rally again ban on Geo news here on Sunday.

Despite the enforcement of section 144 in the city, a large number of journalists turned up at Jinnah chowk from where a rally was taken out which ended at Cantt police station chowk.

Journalists raised slogan against the government and ban on Geo news. They asked the government to refrain from curbing the freedom of media and expression.

PEMRA blamed for taking illegal actions

KARACHI: Cable Operators Association of Pakistan (COAP) alleged Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) of serving illegal show cause notices to cable operators over banning Geo News transmission following President Zardari’s directives in parts of country.

Addressing a press conference here, office-bearers of COAP said, “We have convened emergency meetings in all provinces over this issue legally and the PEMRA is serving show cause notices to cable operators".

They said, “No article in PEMRA rules restricts cable operators to tune channels on any particular position therefore the COAP must not be forced by the government to shuffle channel positions.”

They demanded the PEMRA should suspend serving show cause notices and call off served notices at the earliest.

PTI, lawyers vow to stage sit-in in Karachi

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Saturday has strongly condemned the arrests and torture perpetrated by police on the participants of lawyers’ long march and termed the ban on Geo transmission as undemocratic act.

Participants from separate political parties attended the All Parties Conference (APC) organized by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Sindh and announced to partake in lawyers’ long march in Karachi on March 16.

Activists from Jamat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), Awami Tehreek (AT) and Labour Party were present in the APC here.

Speakers at the conference strongly deplored Karachi police torture and arrests of political activists and lawyers and said, “Police are still raiding on lawyers and political activists’ residences.”

They also deplored ban on Geo News transmission in some parts of country saying, “Media are being forced to hide truth.”

Political activists announced to gather in City Court followed by staging sit-in with lawyers on M.A Jinnah road on March 16.

From the Print Edition

PM accepts Sherry Rehman's resignation 

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sherry Rehman on Saturday formally presented her resignation to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and the latter accepted it.

Sources told Online that it had been decided that Minister for Kashmir Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira would be the new information minister.

Sherry told the prime minister that some ministers were overstepping their powers and were interfering in her ministry and her prestige was being affected adversely due to the directives issued by these ministers.

The sources said that she had not tendered resignation due to the government policy with respect to the long march and she would continue to support the government policies. Earlier, Sherry had indicated to resign if a crackdown was launched on the media. 

After much deliberation, the prime minister accepted the resignation of Sherry Rehman. Sherry Rehman is the third minister in the PPP-led cabinet who has resigned from her office.

Countrywide protest against media curbs

Geo transmissions being restored by cable operators at people's request

By Saadia Khalid

ISLAMABAD: Journalist bodies, including the PFUJ, RIUJ, PUJ, KHUJ and KUJ, civil society activists, political parties and people belonging to all walks of life held countrywide protests on Saturday against curbs on the media and closure of the Geo News and other TV channels.

Meanwhile, cable operators in different cities have started restoring the original position of the Geo News channel at their cable networks on the request of the people. They have also started airing the Geo transmission at places where they were closed earlier.

Earlier, a large number of people belonging to different walks of life, including media persons, under the banner of the RIUJ, members of civil society and students, staged a demonstration in front of the National Press Club in order to condemn the ban imposed on the TV channels.

The protesters slammed the ban, calling it a cowardly act and a hasty decision taken by the government.

They hailed the decision of Sherry Rehman, who tendered her resignation as minister for information and broadcasting after a cabinet meeting on Friday night, as the Geo TV channel was blocked in major cities of the country.

Addressing the demonstrators, speakers said the ban on the media was linked to the forthcoming long march, as the event was getting a comprehensive coverage from the local media.

Holding placards inscribed with anti-government slogans, the demonstrators vowed to continue their struggle till the freedom of press and judiciary.

They said there was no difference between a democratic government and a dictator's regime, as the media and the lawyers were confronting the same problems and difficulties.

PML-N leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi said if both the democratic government and the dictator were taking the same steps to curb the media, media persons were justified in distrusting the government.

"It is regrettable that such a shameful act to curb the media has been taken by a democratically-elected government," he said.

Hashmi said the struggle of the media for the free and independent judiciary was no less than that of the lawyers, as both of them were fighting for the cause in their own ways.

"Our party appreciates the media for presenting the true picture before the masses through their bold reporting and analysis," he said.

He said President Asif Ali Zardari had promised to restore the deposed judges when the PPP formed the coalition government with the PML-N, but he had been reluctant to fulfil his commitment.

He said the PPP's non-serious attitude prompted the PML-N, the lawyers and ultimately the media to opt for the way of protests and march in order to get their rights.

Senator Zafar Ali Shah said that in the prevailing situation, all the four pillars of the State, including the media, were shaking.

"It is time when the government must take sensible steps in order to secure our country by strengthening its pillars," he said.

He said the media had become so advance that each and every statement and act of political workers was on record and there were a few chances left for them to deny what they had said or promised.

Meanwhile, a large number of civil rights activists gathered in front of the Jinnah Super Market and chanted slogans for the reinstatement of the deposed judges and lifting of the ban imposed on the media.

Agencies add: Meanwhile, the journalists' community staged a walkout from the session of the National Assembly against the ban on private TV channels, but ended their protest later after an assurance by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mehreen Anwar Raja and Parliamentary Information Secretary Azeem Daultana.

Mehreen Raja, after listening to the demands of journalists, said that the democratic government even could not think of imposing curbs on the media and if cable operators stopped the transmission themselves, the government would take notice.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) expressing deep concern and condemning the highhandedness of cable operators in mishandling the news channels' (Geo, Aaj, Royal and others) placement or stoppage on their respective cable networks throughout the country has asked the government to take stern action against the cable operators and correct the situation within next 48 hours.

Meanwhile, PFUJ has constituted a fact finding body to probe into this matter and submit its report within next 48 hours to ascertain the facts and fiction and then draw the future line of action after taking into account all these reports and talking to all stakeholders including the PBA, media owners and all the state/government functionaries.

The members of the fact finding body includes Zafar Abbas Resident Editor of Dawn for Federal Capital, Mohammad Riaz, President Khyber Union of Journalists for NWFP, Saleem Shahid, Senior Assistant Secretary PFUJ for Balochistan, Ahsan Zia, President Punjab Union of Journalists for Punjab, Javed Chaudhry, President Karachi Union of Journalists for Sindh.

Meanwhile, Reporters Without Borders has condemned the blocking off transmission of Geo News and Aaj TV in several major cities.

"It is shocking to see a democratic government use the same censorship measures as Pervez Musharraf's military government," Reporters Without Borders said. "We urge the authorities in Islamabad to restore transmission of Geo News and Aaj TV without delay. Such crude censorship will no way help to resolve Pakistan's political crisis."

Our correspondent from Lahore adds: Meanwhile, hundreds of people belonging to different walks of life condemned and chanted slogans against the government for blocking Geo News and other news channels.

People gathered at the Lahore Press Club (LPC) and termed the government move against the media a blatant attack on independence of the press.

Representatives of various media organisations, members of civil society, lawyers, activists and workers of various religious and political bodies like Khaksar Tehrik, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadith and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) attended the demonstration.

Members of the Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) and Pakistan Electronic Media Journalists Association (PEMJA) demanded the government immediately restore transmissions of Geo News and Royal News, and withdrawal of the PEMRA Ordinance.

They said the curbs on the media were violation of basic human rights as access to information was a basic right of every individual, adding that the act of the government had exposed its intentions against the media and the rulers were following policies of ex-president Pervez Musharraf.

The demonstrators with black armbands were carrying banners and placards inscribed with anti-government and anti-PEMRA slogans.

APNS deplores intimidating actions against Jang Group

KARACHI: Hameed Haroon, President and Muhammad Aslam Kazi, Secretary General of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, deplore the intimidating actions initiated by the federal and the Punjab governments against the Jang Group of Newspapers.

These actions include banning of government advertisement in varying degrees by both these governments so as to affect the financial strangulation of these newspapers. In an associated move, the governments and Pemra have persuaded cable operators to remove Jang Group's television channel, Geo News in the third confrontation between the media group and sitting governments over the last two years.

The APNS believes that such actions not only lead to a marked worsening of prospects for a productive dialogue between the government and the press but are warning signals to those interested in safeguarding the future of democracy and of a representative and responsible governance in Pakistan.

It is not only the media but all political parties inclined to a democratic dispensation that must realise that a free press is not a contestant or rival in the political sweepstake to government but a prerequisite for the functioning of democracy itself.

We in the APNS appeal to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on the one side and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif on the other side to sit down together and thrash out an equitable solution to problems of constitution making, governance and an independent judiciary otherwise, following the tragic resignation of former journalist-turned Federal Information Minister, Sherry Rehman, the free press would become the first but certainly not the last casualty in an already tottering deadly game of power dominos in this democratic set-up.

Geo TV blockage flayed

LAHORE : The former Federal Minister for Human Rights, Ansar Burney, has strongly condemned the blockage of Geo News in the country.

According to a press release issued here on Saturday, the chairman of the Ansar Burney Trust International said the present government was running the country like a dictatorship and had made it a police state.

Burney said Geo TV, under the kind leadership of Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, was airing the truth and creating the awareness against those who were violating human rights, therefore it had been punished.

Ansar Burney strongly condemned the blockage of Geo TV and demanded its immediate restoration. He assured Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman of his all-out cooperation in the former’s struggle for freedom of the press and for showing the real faces of violators of human rights and democracy.

In another press statement, Christian Rights Commission Punjab (CRCP) Chairman Samuel Khokar said that blocking Geo TV’s transmission proved the government’s failure. He said the media was independent in the country and nobody could put curbs on it, arguing that if media did not help create awareness among the masses who would do the job. He said Geo TV had made tremendous progress as it had been successful to attract viewers across the world. He blamed that President Asif Ali Zardari was not sincere with the people of the country.

The All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA), in a statement, said the blockage of Geo TV’s transmission had exposed faces of democratic leaders in the country.

Govt applying Musharraf’s techniques on media: Ahsan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary Information Ahsan Iqbal said General Musharraf used tactics to impose a ban on the media and arrest political workers and lawyers, but in the end, he himself had to resign.

At the moment, the government was also doing the same and would meet the same fate, Ahsan said while addressing lawyers at the Islamabad Bar Association here on Saturday.

He said Zardari had also banned the media and tried to stop the lawyers and the political workers from the long march, but the results would be the same and Zardari would lose his government.

He said the government had impounded hundreds of containers to block the roads and stop participants of the long march.

He said business activities were at halt and import and export had suspended, which caused the loss of around $1 billion.

This loss would be recovered from those, who had given the orders to impound the containers, he added.

PBC condemns crackdown on long marchers

By Sohail Khan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Saturday condemned the crackdown against the participants of long march being launched across the country for the independence of judiciary, rule of law and supremacy of the Constitution.

The Law Reforms Committee of Pakistan Bar Council was held here under the chairmanship of Dr A Khalid Ranjha. The meeting while passing a resolution, proposed by Hamid Khan, condemns the crackdown of police and other so called law enforcement agencies in Sindh, Punjab and other places against the peaceful long march of the lawyers and their supporting political parties and civil society organisations on and after March 12, 2009.

The committee condemns arrest and detention of lawyers, political party and civil society activists to scuttle the long march and dharna, and, in particular, the committee condemns the detention of Mahmoodul Hasan, Vice-Chairman of Sindh Bar Council; Muhammad Ali Abbasi and Naeem Qureshi, President and Secretary of Karachi Bar Association, respectively, and the members of its Managing Committee at the beginning of the long march from Karachi on March 12, 2009.

The committee expressed the confidence and resolved that the lawyers’ movement would succeed in the attainment of their objective of restoration of judiciary of November 2, 2007.

Journalists protest media ban

KARACHI: Journalists, lawyers others participated in a rally on Saturday to protest the ban on the transmission of Geo and another private TV channel by the authorities. The rally began from the Karachi Press Club (KPC) and moved towards the Chief Minister House via Deen Muhammad Wafai Road, M.R Kyani Road and Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road.

The participants of the rally chanted slogans against the government for “usurping the basic rights of the citizens and the media while trumpeting that it was a ‘democratic’ setup.” A heavy contingent of police accompanied the marchers and high-ranking police officials tried to stop the rally near the Pearl Continental Hotel to prevent it from reaching the CM House. The journalists, however, persuaded them to allow the march and the police agreed.

Imran Aslam of Geo TV urged the government to stop the practice of stifling the voice of the media if it did not toe their line. “Repressive measures are not successful anywhere in the world. History is full of such examples but unfortunately the government deems it the only way to stop the voice of justice and fair play,” Aslam said.

Karachi Press Club (KPC) President Imtiaz Faran criticised at the undemocratic steps taken by the government, which, he said, was “adopting dictatorial measures instead of realising its mistakes and making amendments.” Faran praised Geo’s role for “not shrinking from its duty even with news that might be considered ‘against’ the government.”

“Sadly the government is not ready to act in a democratic manner. It just claims that they have democracy,” Faran concluded.