Geo News will resume its transmission following fruitful talks between the channel officials and the management of the Dubai Media City, from where it was operating, the official Emirates news agency reported.

"We are glad to see GEO News channel back on air from the DMC which is committed to growing its partners' businesses, within the framework of full respect to UAE's domestic and foreign policies," Amina Al Rustamani, Executive Director of Media at Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone, said.

Earlier this month, DMC announced that ARY One World channel resumed its transmission from Dubai, based on mutual understanding between both parties.

Other eight channels of ARY Digital continued to be operational from DMC.

Geo and ARY channel were banned by the UAE as part of its policy of "neutrality and non-interference" in other countries' affairs, officials here had said.

Both channels were earlier banned in Pakistan for refusing to sign a media code introduced by President Pervez Musharraf after he declared emergency rule on November 3.

Pakistani channel Geo News resumed broadcasting from Dubai at midnight on Thursday after the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) shut it down nearly two weeks ago.

According to Agence France-Presse, Amina Rustamani, executive director of media at the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone, said the decision to allow Geo News to transmit its satellite signals once more followed discussions between top network management and Dubai Media City authorities.

According to a Press Trust of India report, Dubai Media City installed new conditions Geo News had to accept if it wanted to resume transmission.

Dubai Media City ordered Geo News' and ARY One's closures on Nov. 16 in order to maintain neutrality, according to a statement made by the U.A.E. Both private channels claimed, however, they were forced off air by pressure from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Earlier in the week, Gulf News reported Imran Mir, station manager of Geo TV in Dubai, saying that Geo TV was "making arrangements" to move its base of operations from Dubai to Hong Kong due to the financial losses incurred by the U.A.E. shutdown.

ARY One, another prominent Pakistani news channel that was closed down, resumed transmission on Nov. 22 after also reaching an undisclosed agreement with Dubai Media City authorities. Despite its return, like Geo TV, it is reportedly looking to move out of Dubai.

Reporters Without Borders wrote today to President Pervez Musharraf asking him to quickly rescind his ban on the Geo TV group's various television stations and two independent radio stations, Power99 FM and Mast Fm 103.

Mr. Pervez Musharraf President Islamabad Republic of Pakistan

Dear Mr. President,

The authorities in Dubai have just given the privately-owned TV station Geo News permission to resume broadcasting from the Emirate but its programmes are still banned in Pakistan. Your government is also preventing broadcasting by two privately-owned radio stations, whose equipment was seized when the state of emergency was imposed.

We hail the Dubai government's decision to restore Geo News's rights. Your government must now quickly follow this example and allow Pakistani cable operators to resume distribution of all of Geo TV's stations. Similarly, the sanctions that were unfairly imposed on the Pakistani news radio stations, Power99 FM and Mast FM 103, must be lifted immediately.

Amina Rustamani of the Dubai Media Centre announced yesterday that the Geo TV's Geo News is again authorised to broadcast from the Emirate. "Geo News will resume broadcasting at midnight from the Dubai Media Centre following productive discussion between the two parties," Rustamani said. In Pakistan, the only people with access to Geo TV's stations are those with satellite dishes, the importation of which is restricted.

As well as blocking Geo News, your government has also banned the broadcasts of the group's sports, entertainment and youth channels. "They are trying to strangle us financially by all possible means," Geo TV president Imran Aslam told us in a letter. "We are losing half a million dollars a day, a figure the government is well aware of and which must have been factored into its calculations," he wrote. "We are ready to dialogue with honour, but we will not submit to any humiliating accord and to conditions that undermine our credibility."

On 5 November, Geo TV petitioned the Sindh high court to lift the ban, but the government's representative is sidestepping any substantive debate and on 27 November, the government again claimed that it did not know why the station was blocked.

The Association of Independent Radio (AIR) has condemned the plight of Power99 FM and Mast FM 103 resulting from the seizure of their equipment on 3 November. "It was the editorial line of these two radio stations, above all, the attention they paid to current affairs, that prompted their closure," AIR chairman Najib Ahmed said. Employees at the two stations told Reporters Without Borders that the government has done nothing to enable them to resume broadcasting.

Although they were very popular, both because of their own news programmes and their retransmission of the Urdu-language news programmes of the BBC and Deutsche Welle, they are now on the verge of bankruptcy.

We are shocked by the methodical way your government has persecuted Geo TV and the independent radio stations. It seems that the sanctions aimed at bankrupting these independent companies are linked to their refusal to bow to certain dictates, in particular, the code of conduct established after the declaration of the state of emergency.

Mr. President, the arbitrary manner in which these popular and respected news media are being treatment is having disastrous consequences for your country's international image and for the hundreds of Pakistani journalists who risk losing their jobs.

As you have announced that the state of emergency is to be lifted soon, we urge you, as a goodwill gesture, to restore all of Geo TV's stations as well as Power99 FM and Mast FM 103. We trust in your commitment to press freedom.

Sincerely,

Robert Ménard Secretary-General

New Delhi/Dubai: Pakistan news channel Geo News resumed its transmission out of Dubai Media City at midnight, Dubai time on Thursday.

However, cable operators in Pakistan still cannot air the channel. The channel is currently iewable only through satellite receiver.

Following Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf imposed Emergency rule, Geo had been blacked out since November 3.

UAE's official Emirates news agency said in a brief dispatch that Dubai Media City and Pakistan channel have reached agreement on resuming broadcast.

Apart from Geo, the Dubai Media City had blocked the satellite signals for ARY channel, saying the decision was in line with the UAE's policy of neutrality and non-interference in other countries' affairs.

Both channels were earlier banned in Pakistan for refusing to sign a media code introduced by President Pervez Musharraf after he declared emergency rule.

Imran Mir, Station Head of Geo Television Network in Dubai, said the top management of Geo is in touch with the DMC, which has put in place some new conditions before allowing them to resume broadcasting.

The ARY network was allowed to resume its regular news transmission last week after the channel signed a letter promising to abide by some regulations.

"We resumed operations from Thursday midnight after an agreement with Dubai Media City (DMC)," Geo TV's Dubai station head Imran Mir said on Friday.

Mir said the channel had restarted transmission since the situation in Pakistan was returning to normalcy.

"The situation in Pakistan is getting back to normalcy after (Pervez) Musharraf took oath as civilian president (Thursday)," he said.

He, however, said cable TV viewers in Pakistan were still not able to watch any of Geo's channels.

"In Pakistan, Geo TV is still not accessible to people with cable TV connections. Only those with dish TV can watch our channels.

"We are glad to see GEO News channel back on air from the DMC which is committed to growing its partners' businesses within the framework of full respect to UAE's domestic and foreign policies," Amina Al Rustamani, executive director of media at Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone, was quoted by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) as saying.

She said she was proud of the partnership between DMC and the International Media Corp, the parent company of Geo TV.

Geo is one of the two private Pakistani channels that were ordered to stop uplinking from Dubai their news programmes. The other is ARY TV.

This came following the complete blackout of the two channels in Pakistan after imposition of emergency in that country by Musharraf Nov 3.

Musharraf, who took oath as a civilian president on Thursday after relinquishing his army uniform, has announced that emergency would be lifted Dec 16. Jan 8 has been set as the date for general elections.

Geo TV has eight channels uplinking from its office at the Dubai Media City here. Geo News has three beams covering Pakistan, the Middle East, the US and Britain.

The UAE authorities had stated that the country's neutral foreign policy and its positive and constructive role in international affairs were the reasons behind taking the two Pakistani news channels off air.

Geo TV's sports and entertainment channels were allowed to broadcast on the condition that these would not air any news or current affairs programme.

"All our sports and entertainment channels are operating as usual. We don't air any news or current affairs programmes on those channels anyway," Mir said.

Earlier this month, DMC announced that ARY One World channel, part of ARY Digital licensed under DMC, resumed its transmission from Dubai, based on mutual understanding between the two parties.

A two-judge bench of the high court, comprising Justice Muneeb Ahmed Khan and Justice Dr Rana Shamim Ahmed, issued the order after Deputy Attorney General Rizwan Ahmed Siddiqi submitted that a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court on the same subject matter that had barred the writ jurisdiction of the high court.

Siddiqi further pleaded the engagements of the Attorney General of Pakistan in Islamabad did not allow him to come to Karachi to appear in person to deliberate on the petitions. He, therefore, sought further time.

Muhammad Ali Mazhar, an advocate who is the counsel for petitioners Independent Media Pvt Ltd and Bird Pvt Ltd, said the petition in the apex court was filed by Kazi Shaharyar in which the very law, the PEMRA (amendment) ordinance 2007 has been challenged.

Mazhar further pleaded that petitioners had not challenged the ordinance, which places restrictions on electronic media. These restrictions were being followed by all four channels of the Geo TV Network strictly.

He said petitioners are aggrieved parties and their right to seek remedy from high court could not be taken away if any Tom or Peter files a petition in Supreme Court.

When Justice Muneeb asked Siddiqui as to why he was not filing comments on behalf of the federal government, he maintained that certain documents, including some from Dubai regarding ban on Geo, were being collected. After completion of this task, he said he would file the comments.

DIFF officials have maintained their public dignity in the face of any challenges, and moved fast to develop greater ties with other Arab fests. In July, fest chairman Abdulhamid Juma announced the creation of the first-ever Arab film fest guild to facilitate cooperation during the increasingly crowded Arab film fest calendar and build up a comprehensive database of Arab films, filmmakers and industry execs to encourage the promotion of Arab cinema both in the region and internationally. In November, the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority (Tecom) announced plans for a Gulf Film Festival to unspool April 9-15 to showcase films from across the Persian Gulf. "I actually think there are too few Arab film festivals," says Al-Ali, who will also top the startup Gulf fest. "Every opportunity for Arab filmmakers to congregate is an opportunity to exchange ideas and innovations and create a true, worldwide film community." While Dubai has striven to keep politics out, the increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran has some overseas commentators looking warily at what the future holds. Such feelings are not held within the emirate itself. "We've had the Iraq war.

We had the Iraq-Iran war. We had many things happen in the region, but so far we have not been affected significantly," says Amina Al-Rustamani, exec director of media at Tecom. "There is huge commitment from the government to make sure that Dubai is a first-choice location for companies to come and establish their businesses." That commitment seems to be paying off. Dubai Media City remains filled to capacity, the partially opened Dubai Studio City is receiving its first companies, and the traffic -- a sign if ever there was one of a busy economy -- remains on a par with Los Angeles. Significant challenges still lie ahead. The fallout of the U.A.E.-wide directive to nix films with controversial or political themes remains unclear in terms of hope much it will hinder Dubai's ability to attract high-profile Hollywood shoots. Morocco and Jordan are already snagging shoots that Dubai has passed on. The insistence on putting the long-term vision of "Brand Dubai" ahead of a short-term buck may yet pay off, however. Reps from MGM were recently in Dubai to scout locations for the "The Thomas Crown Affair" sequel. Australian pic "The Cup" has also inked a deal to lense in Dubai in 2008. "We are selective," says Al-Rustamani.

"Dubai has spent a lot of investment building its brand and its name. We're really not in favor of movies that focus on terrorism and security in this region. We are interested in movies that will add value to the other industries we are building in Dubai, such as tourism." Dubai's ability to handle the knocks it has received this year may be the ultimate proof of the emirate's emergence as a genuine international media hub. One thing for certain, however, is that it won't stop trying to keep politics on the back burner. "A lot of their success has been down to keeping an eye out for avoiding political issues," says Ali Jaber, managing editor of Dubai Media Inc. "Those are the rules of the game."

It was an emotional farewell, a sense of loss and a first for a military dictator in Pakistan. Pakistan's President, General Pervez Musharraf, chose to shed his uniform to become a civilian President, knowing well that the power comes from being in the Army.

Mr Musharraf bid an emotional farewell to the Army, which has been his family for the last 46 years.

CNN-IBN's Face The Nation debated if Musharraf would last as a civilian president.

On the panel of experts to debate the question were visiting French scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and advisor on Pakistan to Washington DC, France and the European Union, Frederic Grare; former major in the Indian Army, Maroof Raza; Diplomatic Editor with the Hindustan Times and author of Dateline Islamabad, Amit Baruah; and Executive Editor Geo TV, Hamid Mir.

The Chosen One

The answer to whether Musharraf will last as a civilian President may lie with his handpicked successor and close confidante, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. Kayani enjoys the President's trust, having successfully led the investigation into two assassination attempts on him.

As political uncertainties deepen, Musharraf will be banking considerably on his loyalty, but experts say it's not clear whether he will back Musharraf or accelerate his demise. They say that at any critical juncture, it is possible that Kayani's loyalty to the institution he heads will supersede his loyalties to Musharraf.

Will Musharraf Last?

Amit Baruah was in Islamabad when Musharraf staged his first coup. Recently, he witnessed the martial law imposed by the President - though it was termed Emergency - as well as the President finally keeping his word and doffing his uniform. He says that he feels that the President is now backtracking because he realised that he was under a lot of pressure.

"Essentially, what Musharraf is doing is what he wanted to do before he imposed the Emergency, and that is that he would remain as a civilian President, a new Army chief would come in, and then there would be elections. He imposed the Emergency because he was under pressure from the Supreme Court of Pakistan and then he went on to arrest a number of political leaders. However, I still think that despite all these things that he did, he will last as a civilian President because the only way that he can be removed from the post is through a long impeachment procedure," Baruah said.

Baruah said that the question that would now be troubling many people was, 'what kind of a power-sharing arrangement would be worked out between President Musharraf, General Kayani and the new prime minister, who would be voted in the month of January?'

Maroof Raza, who has done an analysis on Generals and governments, agreed that the legalities in Pakistan were such that as per Constitutional norms, a President can only be removed through a long drawn-out impeachment process.

However, he also said, "Musharraf is a smart man and he has made sure that he has the indirect backing of the Army, and as long as he does not tread on the Army's toes on aspects that have been the domain of the Army like - national security and foreign and defence policies - I don't think the new Army Chief will be interested in taking over the country."

"The problem that has happened in Pakistan's past has been that civilian leaders like Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto tried to upset the whole system and started running a one-party system. However, Musharraf has done the smart thing by tackling the country's number one problem by handing over the power to General Kayani, and he himself is going to get busy with other aspects of the country, such as tackling the insurgency. He will also try and become an international statesman, something that he has always wanted to be," added Raza.

Musharraf, The Ultimate Arbiter?

Frederic Grare was the person who had actually suggested earlier this year that the United States must start looking beyond Musharraf and that Pakistan should have a civilian president. Now, it seems that things are going according to a script, something which America would have ideally wanted.

Grare was of the opinion that the focus should now be the elections.

"There is going to be a very short campaign and that may lead to a situation which would favour the Pakistan Muslim League-Q right now, as well as smaller, religious parties that can campaign anywhere, like, from madrassas and mosques," he said.

"I feel that there will be a very fractured policy towards the end of the campaign that will favour the smallest and the most radical of organisations - the Islamists of course, but also favour organisations like the MQM. I feel that this is a very well-organised mess in which Pervez Musharraf could very well try to play the ultimate arbiter," Grare said.

Can Benazir Bhutto Be Trusted?

Benazir Bhutto, the leader of the largest party in Pakistan - Pakistan People's Party (PPP) - said that she would contest the elections even though they would most probably be rigged in favour of Musharraf's party, the PML-Q.

She told CNN-IBN, "My party debated long and hard on whether I should contest the elections and we felt that if we did not participate, there would be no need for the regime to rig the election and a false illusion would be created that we, the Opposition party, had actually voluntarily left the electoral field."

However, Hamid Mir said that he did not buy this argument of Benazir's at all.

"Just a few days ago, she told me that Musharraf, Nawaz Sharif and other opposition leaders should agree on only one point that the deposed chief justice, Iftikar Mohammad Chawdhury should be reinstated. She also said that she was not willing to participate in an election under Emergency and that she was sure there would be rigging and that the government would not give her party more than 50 or 60 seats," he said.

"I think she and Nawaz Sharif are in touch with each other now and the day after tomorrow, Nawaz Sharif is expected to announce that he, too, will stand for elections. I am sure Imran Khan will also join in. That is the time when Benazir Bhutto will face a lot of trouble and she will be in a very difficult situation because a lot of members of the central executive committee of PPP are of the opinion that the party should not contest the polls under Emergency," he added.

In short, he felt that Benazir was going back on her words and that she was not to be trusted.

"Now that Musharraf has finally taken off his uniform, you will see a new facet to Benazir. She will create a lot of trouble and she is most likely to start demanding the re-instatement of all the Supreme Court judges that Musharraf had sacked," Hamid Mir stated.

Will Emergency Be Lifted In Pakistan?

Musharraf has amended a federal Constitutional order and now the President of Pakistan is allowed to lift the Emergency. He has now doffed his uniform and says that the Emergency will be lifted in 48 hours, but Grare says that this does not change the scenario that he had just mentioned -- that there will be a very short one month left to campaign for the elections and then the mainstream parties will not have the time to do things properly.

"Lifting the Emergency now will only serve to calm the anxiety of the international community in general and the US in particular, but I don't think that it will be enough to ensure a decent electoral process. So I think that we are heading towards something that increasingly looks like a farce," Grare said.

Grare, keeping in mind what Hamid Mir had stated, said, "I think that the fates of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif are linked. I think that they will either be in the election together or will boycott it together, but I don't see one party going alone without the other."

Amit Baruah got a quick word of advice in at this point saying, "I don't think that election boycott is a solution to the problem that ails Pakistan. I think this is an opportunity for political parties to contest - though the environment may seem imperfect. But this is a chance that political parties in Pakistan should not miss out on at all."

Raza agreed saying, "I think that it's important for Pakistan to have elections so that there is a triangle in Paksitan - a political leadership, a military chief and a president - and all should guide the country along, giving it stability."

Hamid Mir meanwhile, wanted to focus on the Emergency in the country and said, "The Emergency was imposed by 'General' Pervez Musharraf, not 'Mr' Pervez Musharraf and I think that he will lift the order in a few days time."

A lot of former high-ranking Pakistani military officers in a statement today declared that: "Mr Musharraf has lost all moral and legal authority to retain the position he holds."

This statement, however, according to Amit Baruah would have no impact at all and it would not make Musharraf step down from the Presidency.

Maroof Raza agreed, saying that military officers in Pakistan said one thing when they were in power and another when they were out of power.

"Musharraf has been known not to humour former military officers for too long, so I think that he will not really bother about their opinion and that he will do what he wants to do. One must also understand that Kayani is Musharraf's man, else he would not have been chosen as Army chief and that the Army continues to back Musharraf," Raza said.

FINAL SMS POLL: Musharraf resigns as Army Chief: Will he last as a civilian president?

Yes: 33 per cent

No: 67 per cent

CNN-IBN Editorial
What was originally an offer to placate a highly critical Supreme Court has now become a reality, although that Supreme Court no longer exists. Musharraf has been pressurised to keep his word of shedding his uniform. In doing so, he has just accomplished what no leader in Pakistan has so far - a peaceful transfer of power.

A People Power revolution a la the Philippines is unlikely in Pakistan. Hence, the opposition parties will remain a sideshow and Musharraf will continue, as President subject only to the sweet will of the Army.

Since 9/11, my biggest fear was that he might one day disappear in a thud of flesh and smoke — along with his uniform. So his departure from the post of the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) with a guard of honour rather than draped in the national flag is most welcome. I am relieved.

But this is it. The general continues as the president with the support of the armed forces, blessings of the mentors in Washington, a divided political field, an emasculated judiciary and a tamed media. Armed with this colourful bandwagon, he now heads for another managed election to choose a showcase parliament to cheer him for the next five years.

Where does this land us? And one may wonder, what happened to the civil society movement; the assertive judiciary and the powerful media?

Many still argue that, irrespective of whatever happened since the imposition of emergency-plus or call it martial law, the civil society movement has strengthened. I would beg to differ. There has to be a difference between romantic idealism and realism. And in the interest of realistic assessment, we need to accept that the general and his advisers have played this innings well: their understanding of the ground realities was superb; their analysis of the triangular nexus between the judiciary, the civil society movement and the media was correct and their promise of 'electoral goodies' achieved the necessary faultlines in the political field. No wonder then that with the skill of a 'Rommel', and fighting with his back against the wall, our general has secured the arena the way he wanted — at least for the time being.

In the spirit of sportsmanship — though the most popular sports channel is still banned — we may even congratulate the general and his team. After all, this is "fighting in-house". If a few bottles of forbidden spirits are being popped in Islamabad or in Pindi, then they are well deserved. The media and the judiciary are the losers in this round but whereas the media has the intrinsic ability to quickly spring back, the judiciary is consigned to the trash can for the long haul. Since civil society needs an independent judiciary, this then is the real loss.

If the struggle of the civil society was against the person of Musharraf, then no doctor can offer the kind of powerful analgesics that might be needed to cure the itch at this stage. But if it was for something higher, rest assured that the reversals are temporary; if anything they were expected and like all struggles against authoritarianism, they might be a blessing in disguise.

Transformationists and revolutionaries, especially in Pakistan, often refer to the story of the French revolution. But if they spend some time beyond the editions of college history or the CSS curricula — beyond Rousseau, Robespierre, Marie Antoinette and guillotines — they will realise that the revolution gave way to chaos, and more authoritarianism. France convulsed for another century. Monarchy returned again and again and whatever was finally achieved was a result of painful slow, small step evolution. And even then the evolutionary England did better in many respects — if not all.

Musharraf as a civilian president — despite all advantages he enjoys vis-à-vis an ordinary officeholder — is nevertheless a great step forward for the civil society. It redefines the nature of the struggle against authoritarianism. We must not forget that the struggle is not against individuals; it is for the principle to restrict the arbitrary use of executive authority by the state and non-state actors. Individuals inevitably become symbols of hatred just as they become symbols of resistance and heroism; but in the end they are mere symbols.

Musharraf, the all-powerful civilian president and the focal point of state authority, provides that symbol against which a struggle to restrict executive authority can be waged. Bhutto and Nawaz, Qazi Hussain and Imran Khan, lawyers and the media, students and the NGOs and not to forget ace anchors like Talat Hussain and Hamid Mir are all part of that battle. No doubt Musharraf will have the backing of the armed forces — and for a while of Washington. He has been their most colourful and internationally renowned and approved –if not respected — brand name. But it is up to his opposition to strategise how they drive a wedge between him and the army; how they limit him and how they cut him to size.

But Pakistan and the civil society can win if the struggle yields a "civilised" rather than a merely "civilianised" executive; a state authority restricted by the rule of law that can then encourage organic restraints on the endemic use of violence that characterises Pakistan, from Khyber to Karachi. Replacing Musharraf with an absolutist Bhutto or Nawaz in the end or someone in the same mould will be another failure — a repeat of the past. But before you misunderstand: this is not an argument that Bhutto or Nawaz should not be at the top; this is to argue that the top needs to be trimmed and redefined.

Surveys a few years ago found that many Pakistanis approved of suicide bombings; they were probably then reacting to the asymmetrical nature of power politics in the Middle East. But recent surveys show a rising abhorrence of such tactics — asymmetrical or not. Confronted by the horror and ugliness in their backyard, perspectives in Pakistan have changed.

Similarly, the repeated emphasis on the phrase, "rule of law", in Pakistan represents an organic development — a desperately felt need of the system; this then perhaps for the first time is more than the clichéd use of the term. Amit Pandya, the US scholar from Stimson Center, was not merely using the words when he recently felt, across Pakistan, a palpable desire for the rule of law.

But the struggle to restrict the executive cannot be waged the way many in the civil society or the lawyer's movement thought it possible. Picking up a straight-unto-death fight with the office of the president or the prime minister will never work. Till the beginning of the 21 st century, it didn't even work in the United States or the UK; yet one after the other the civil rights movements in these countries have further diminished the executive. We need to choose our targets carefully.

For instance, I think someone like Imran Khan, with his profile and domestic and international good will , would have achieved greater results if ten years ago he had decided to devote all his energies for the cause of public education rather than becoming controversial in the muddy waters of the mainstream politics. The media in near future, with sustained focus, can successfully reform the regulatory regimen through which it is being threatened and misgoverned. And media, lawyers and the civil society together have to strategise how to wean and resurrect an independent judiciary from the mess we are in now; this despite the fact that in all probability Musharraf will be around for a while.

Dr Moeed Pirzada, a broadcaster and political analyst, works with the GEO TV network in Karachi and has been a Britannia Chevening Scholar at London School of Economics and Political Science. Email: [email protected]

Musharraf disbanded the air waves after his government declared a state of emergency in the country after political upheaval. Musharraf has said that he will lift the emergency laws mid-December.

"The authorities in Dubai have just given the privately-owned TV station Geo News permission to resume broadcasting from the Emirate but its programmes are still banned in Pakistan. Your government is also preventing broadcasting by two privately-owned radio stations, whose equipment was seized when the state of emergency was imposed," the group wrote.

RSF, the world's leading press watchdog, believes that Pakistan's refusal to resume allowing for the broadcasts is a way to achieve financial domination and ultimately, run the broadcasters out of business.

When President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency on 3 November, one of the first casualties was the independent media.

Having shut down every broadcasting station but state run television, Musharraf's government proceeded to raid the offices of independent news channels such as Geo News and Aaj television. Phone lines were cut, some stations reported jamming, and there were threats of long jail terms for broadcasters who would not comply. Hundreds of journalists were arrested. But two independent news channels continued to broadcast live. Geo News and ARY One World transmitted broadcasts from their bureaus in Dubai. The predictable surge in satellite dish purchases after the state of emergency was quickly followed by a government ban, but nonetheless Geo and ARY remained accessible within Pakistan.

Just over two weeks after emergency rule was announced, Musharraf's government convinced the Emir of the United Arab Emirates to end transmission of Geo and ARY thus successfully silencing the last two independent news broadcasts in Pakistan. As Geo's last few minutes on air came to a close, its sensational coverage of the shutdown included phone calls from members of the public, crying as they pleaded for the station – one of the most popular channels in Pakistan – to remain on air.

The next day, more than 80 journalists were arrested in the southern port city of Karachi as they protested the closures of Geo and ARY. On 20 November, another 180 journalists were arrested. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), which governs all non-print media, has been authorised to take action against any television or radio networks that defame or ridicule Musharraf. In addition, a ban was placed on live coverage of 'incidents of violence and conflict'. In a speech made shortly after he declared emergency rule, Musharraf expressed his disappointment in 'the same media that got independence from me, from my government' indicating that he had hoped this move would encourage the media to reflect better on his government. 'I have said several times to go towards positivism and stop negativism.'

The chief executive of Geo, Mir Shakil ur Rahman, is a wealthy media magnate whose newspaper, Jang, founded by his father Mir Khalil ur-Rahman as a newspaper for Muslims in pre-partition India, is Pakistan's largest circulation Urdu newspaper. His channel stepped into the spotlight of the current political tensions when, during the March 2007 removal and subsequent trial of the Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry by Musharraf, it took a decidedly anti-establishment stance and gave maximum coverage to the lawyers and judges involved in the trial.

The week following Chaudhry's removal on 9 March, during the first stand off between Musharraf and the judiciary, police stormed Geo's newsroom in Islamabad and demanded that the network stop its broadcasts of the rioting. The incident was broadcast live. Musharraf subsequently did a live telephone interview with Geo senior journalist Hamid Mir, apologising for the 'deplorable' act.

But the government contrition was not to last, as Geo was ransacked again after emergency rule was declared. Three of Geo's journalists in particular – Dr Shahid Masood host of Meray Mutabiq (In My Opinion), Hamid Mir, host of the talk show Capital Talk, and Kamran Khan, host of The Kamran Khan Show – were considerably open about their criticisms of Musharraf's government and its handling of the chief justice crisis and emergency rule and were particular targets of government ire.

According to a Geo press release following the 16 November shutdown, government officials had initially requested that the programmes of these three journalists be taken off air and when that failed, advertising revenues were targeted In the end, with the Emir on board, Musharraf succeeded in shutting down the channel entirely as it continued to 'refuse to bow down to his dictates', according to the press release. Geo has since announced that it is considering moving its operations to London if an agreement cannot be reached with Dubai to restart its transmissions.

In addition to arrests and shutdowns, the Pakistani government has also enacted new media laws designed to curb press independence even further. The hardest hit have been broadcasters – all non-state-run broadcast networks have been taken off air. While non-state-newspapers – which do not attract as large an audience– can continue to publish, the new press restrictions curtail the content of their reporting.

As Pakistani journalists and their international colleagues continue to demand the reinstatement of the independent media, the most uninhibited voices for Pakistan's media today are the bloggers and Internet journalists who have taken to the world wide web to report the events, opinions, and analyses of the present instability under Pakistan's emergency rule. Pakistani Bloggers, a collection of blogs from and about Pakistan has continued to provide news and views on the situation. In addition, banned blogs are accessible via Access Blogspot Banned, a website that provides access to blogs blocked in Pakistan, India, Iran and China.

In the meantime, world press organisations continue to support Pakistan's journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists has awarded one of its prestigious International Press Freedom Awards to Pakistani journalist Mazhar Abbas, the deputy director of ARY and the secretary general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists. In his remarks at the award ceremony in New York last week, Abbas said that he accepted the award 'not for myself, but for the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists' and reminded the world that the Pakistani media 'is still vibrant and not afraid to speak out against the government' but needs worldwide support in 'reminding those in power, or those who may seek power, that they cannot kill journalists and suppress news with impunity'.