The CPJ expressed its deep concern about the deteriorating climate for press freedom in Pakistan, which undermines the recent commitments made by the government. The body also urged the government to reinstate Geo in the country.
The CPJ in its letter written to the Prime Minister of Pakistan urged him to follow his pledges to address media freedoms with meaningful action. In its letter, the CPJ reminded the prime minister and the government of fulfilling the promises that they made to the CPJ’s delegation.
“Since our meetings, conditions for journalists working in Pakistan have drastically deteriorated. In April 2014, gunmen shot Geo News senior anchor Hamid Mir. Mir survived the attack but sustained wounds to his abdomen and pelvis”.
Similarly, the next month, two foreign journalists were expelled from the country after being told their visas would not be renewed.The Hindu correspondent Meena Menon and Snehesh Alex Philip, correspondent for the Press Trust of India, left Pakistan within seven days.
“On May 20, some members of Pakistan’s Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) announced that licenses for Geo News, Geo Entertainment and Geo Tez, channels under the Geo TV Network, had been suspended. Later that day, Pemra issued a press release saying the order had “no legal standing” since the meeting had been attended by only five of its 12 members, the CPJ stated in its letter.
Zafar Aheer, an editor of Daily Jang, was beaten by six armed men as he was returning home from work on June 3. The assailants confiscated his phone and fired shots around his car before fleeing. Aheer told BBC Urdu that the assailants accused employees of the Jang group of being traitors, Jews, and Indian agents. He also said he had received death threats in connection with his affiliation to the media group.
The staffers at The News—including Umar Cheema, who wrote critically about the attack on Mir—have received threats. Vans carrying Jang’s newspapers have been torched in Lahore, Lodhran, and Rawalpindi.
Expressing its severe concerns about the behavior of cable operators on the Geo News issue, the CJP states, “On June 6, Geo News was fined and given a 15-day suspension by Pemra. The channel went from providing news to millions of people to a blank screen. Pemra allowed the channel to begin rebroadcast after 15 days, but news reports said cable operators were continuing to block the channel”.
On June 20, Pemra suspended Geo Entertainment’s license for 30 days and ARY News’ license for 15 days and imposed on each outlet fines of 10 million rupees. News reports said Geo was banned for “insulting the religious sentiments of viewers” in one of its morning shows, and ARY was banned for “bringing the high courts into disrepute” in connection with a critical programme.
This sets a very dangerous precedent and opens the door for future attempts to shut down news channels that are critical of the state and its agencies. More than 7,500 people are employed by Geo, and their livelihoods and safety are directly affected by the threats to Geo.
The CPJ called on the government to reinstate Geo’s ability to operate and broadcast in the country and it should ensure journalists at all news outlets are able to work safely and freely in Pakistan.
The international body for journalists further urged the constitution of a joint government-media commission to review anti-press attacks and improve security. This would be a great step toward improving the climate for press freedom in Pakistan.
The CPJ further reminded the government of recognising the scope of the crisis that journalists face in Pakistan and the damage that the country’s record of impunity in the murder of journalists has done to its international reputation.
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