Not just for the Jang Group and Geo but for the country as a whole this should be a terrifying situation reflecting how our affairs are actually run by persons who pull invisible strings. Ninety percent of the country is being denied access to the most popular television station without any legal authority. The Pemra ‘meeting’ that supposedly led cable operators to take Geo off the air was a complete farce, with only three members attending and that too not at the Pemra office. Geo’s persecution began the very day Hamid Mir was shot. Apparently airing the views of a man on who he thinks is most likely to target him is not newsworthy and tantamount to treason. The pressure started with cable operators being forced to move the position of Geo on cable networks. Soon Geo wasn’t being shown nor were Jang Group newspapers allowed into cantonments. The defence ministry was browbeaten into sending a complaint against Geo to Pemra. Then the threats and intimidation began. Employees of the group no longer feel safe identifying themselves as such and are being harassed on their way to and from work. The most powerful institution in the country has decided to put all its force, whether legal or extra-legal, behind this assault on a media organisation. Our troops put their lives at risk daily to protect this country and the liberty we enjoy; yet the leadership seems more concerned with fighting a petty vendetta.
Journalists around the country have been protesting what is an illegal act against a channel in any way they can. Punjab Assembly proceedings have been boycotted, statements issued and protests staged. But there is every indication the forces we see unleashed will continue to do what they can. Some media organisations, perhaps sensing an opportunity to supplant the most popular news station in the country, have offered themselves up to act as a conduit for the moves against the Jang Group. Given the precarious situation in which journalists in the country find themselves, airing false accusations against those in the media is essentially putting a bounty on their heads. The civilian government, already embroiled in tussles with the military over issues like the Pervez Musharraf trial, has been circumspect but is understood by some to be quietly supportive. It now may be time for Nawaz Sharif to take a stand. He could begin by firing members of Pemra who appear to be taking marching orders from non-professional sources and are illegally trying to shut Geo down. A stirring defence of media freedom may also be in order. In a democracy, for a channel to be strangulated in this manner – through cable operators who are themselves of course vulnerable to coercive power – is a very serious matter. It removes the right to access information enshrined in our constitution and snatches away from people their basic right to choose. All the gains from the battle against Musharraf’s repression in 2007 could be lost if Geo is cast aside and allowed to drown. This fight is about more than one news channel. The right of the media to operate freely is at stake.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Pakistan: Black days
Not just for the Jang Group and Geo but for the country as a whole this should be a terrifying situation reflecting how our affairs are actually run by persons who pull invisible strings. Ninety percent of the country is being denied access to the most popular television station without any legal authority. The Pemra ‘meeting’ that supposedly led cable operators to take Geo off the air was a complete farce, with only three members attending and that too not at the Pemra office. Geo’s persecution began the very day Hamid Mir was shot. Apparently airing the views of a man on who he thinks is most likely to target him is not newsworthy and tantamount to treason. The pressure started with cable operators being forced to move the position of Geo on cable networks. Soon Geo wasn’t being shown nor were Jang Group newspapers allowed into cantonments. The defence ministry was browbeaten into sending a complaint against Geo to Pemra. Then the threats and intimidation began. Employees of the group no longer feel safe identifying themselves as such and are being harassed on their way to and from work. The most powerful institution in the country has decided to put all its force, whether legal or extra-legal, behind this assault on a media organisation. Our troops put their lives at risk daily to protect this country and the liberty we enjoy; yet the leadership seems more concerned with fighting a petty vendetta.
Journalists around the country have been protesting what is an illegal act against a channel in any way they can. Punjab Assembly proceedings have been boycotted, statements issued and protests staged. But there is every indication the forces we see unleashed will continue to do what they can. Some media organisations, perhaps sensing an opportunity to supplant the most popular news station in the country, have offered themselves up to act as a conduit for the moves against the Jang Group. Given the precarious situation in which journalists in the country find themselves, airing false accusations against those in the media is essentially putting a bounty on their heads. The civilian government, already embroiled in tussles with the military over issues like the Pervez Musharraf trial, has been circumspect but is understood by some to be quietly supportive. It now may be time for Nawaz Sharif to take a stand. He could begin by firing members of Pemra who appear to be taking marching orders from non-professional sources and are illegally trying to shut Geo down. A stirring defence of media freedom may also be in order. In a democracy, for a channel to be strangulated in this manner – through cable operators who are themselves of course vulnerable to coercive power – is a very serious matter. It removes the right to access information enshrined in our constitution and snatches away from people their basic right to choose. All the gains from the battle against Musharraf’s repression in 2007 could be lost if Geo is cast aside and allowed to drown. This fight is about more than one news channel. The right of the media to operate freely is at stake.
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