Politicians, lawyers condemn Geo channel shutdown

KARACHI/LAHORE/PESHAWAR: Media watchdog Pemra’s decision to suspend the Geo TV licence for 15 days on Friday drew strong criticism from political leaders and lawyers.

PPP Sindh General Secretary Taj Haider on Friday said it was very unfortunate that private TV channels were being shut down. He said the government should have stepped in much earlier to save the situation but it played no conciliatory role.

He said it was again very unfortunate that an intense war was going on between the media houses. He said the working journalists must maintain complete unity in their movement and struggle and they should secure concrete promises and commitments from their respective owners that they would fight for their (owners’) cause but in return conditions of their services should be improved.

“In the past, we fought for our English colonial masters but only on the promise that afterwards we would be given freedom,” he said in support of his argument. Waqar Mehdi, Information Secretary of the Pakistan People’s Party, Sindh, said that due action against the Geo News television should be taken fully in accordance with the Constitution, the law of the land and the Pemra rules and there should be no violation of the law and the rules.

He said an independent, transparent, and proper inquiry should be conducted and the Geo News TV issue should be resolved as per the law. He said if the suspension of Geo News TV license for 15 days was in line with the rules and laws of Pemra, then there was no harm in it.

Syed Najmi Alam, General Secretary, PPP Karachi Division, said that suspension of the license and transmission of Geo News merely for 15 days was beyond his comprehension given the seriousness of the allegation pending against the Geo News. Given the allegation being probed against it, in case the Geo News had committed such a grave mistake, then the TV news channel should have been shut down forever. It seems to be a compromise between the parties and stakeholders concerned, said the local PPP leader.

The PML-F Media Coordinator, Kamran Tessori, said his party believes in press freedom and whenever and wherever the press voice was gagged, they will condemn it.Senator Saeed Ghani of the PPP opined that all the parties should have attended the Pemra meeting. He said during the Friday’s meeting, there were no private members and in the previous meeting there were private members. Ghani said though the Jang Group had always been against the PPP, they still say an injustice had been done.

The PML-Q and PML-N leaders and adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Sharmila Farooqi refused to offer any comments.MQM Rabita Committee member Engineer Nasir Jamal at first offered no comments; however, when insisted, he said: “Allah Taala Geo Kee Mushkil Asaan Karay.”

Despite repeated calls, Sindh Minister for Information Sharjeel Inaam Memon was not available for comments.KUJ President G M Jamali strongly condemned the decision of Pemra and said the authority should have heard both the sides. He said it was totally unjustified and unwarranted not to listen to Geo TV.

The KUJ and PFUJ strongly condemned the decision. The religious parties refused to make any comments over this issue.Legal experts and senior lawyers have condemned the one-sided Pemra’s decision of suspending the Geo News licence for 15 days and said it was a clear violation of the Article 10(A) of the Constitution.

Former judge of the Sindh High Court and renowned lawyer Rasheed A Razvi said the due process of law was not followed in the case, which was a clear violation of Article 10 (A) of the Constitution. He said the decision was politically-motivated.

Former assistant advocate general, Sindh, Syed Jalil Ahmed Hashmi, said it was an unlawful decision and could be challenged in the Sindh High Court under Article 199 of the Constitution. Hashmi said the decision was taken in haste and without providing an opportunity to Geo TV to defend it. He said the Pemra decision will definitely be set aside by the appellate court.

Renowned law expert and special public prosecutor Abdul Maroof said: “To me, the decision itself has committed many violations of law dealing with the right to know, right to speech and right to expression and it was a matter to be dealt with under Article 199 and Article 184 (3) as it not only involves the question of public interest, but also a matter of violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.”

Maroof said such decisions hold no water in the eye of law and were finally reversed and certainly this wrong decision would meet the same fate in the near future. Advocate Noor Naz Agha observed: “I am deadly against a decision that does not take into account necessary legal aspects of the matter and are drawn unheard of the stakeholders concerned.”

She said it was not an occasion of happiness and instead it was the tragedy of the day because such negative decisions could also affect other media houses. She said Pemra must honour the due course of law and due process of law while dealing with the matters of media and journalism, which were bound to do investigative reporting of the events.

According to the Pemra notification, the licence will remain suspended from June 06 till June 20. In Kasur, lawyers, journalists, traders, political workers and members of the civil society condemned the suspension of the Geo News.

In three emergency meetings held at kutchery and Lal Havely, the Unity Group of Lawyers, Insaf Group of Lawyers, HR activists and other organisations passed resolutions against the Pemra. Kasur BR VP Saleem Farrukh, Yaseen Farrukh advocate, Unity Group President Rana Naveed Ahmad Joya, Insaf Group President Saleemur Rahman, Sardar Sharif Sohdal advocate, Sh Ateeq Ahmad advocate, Naveed A Malik, Shazia Ajmal advocate, MM Tariq Advocate, Zohaib Baloch and others condemned Pemra and termed its decision a conspiracy against Geo, the media and democracy.

In Lahore, protesters rejected the Friday’s decision of Pemra saying the decision reflected the government’s intentions on the independence of the media and value of freedom of expression in the country.Carrying banners and placards inscribed with anti-Pemra, anti-Rathore and anti-government slogans, the protesters in hundreds gathered outside the Jang/Geo offices on the Davis Road and condemned the Pemra decision.

The Muttahidda Christian Rabita Committee on Friday denounced the suspension of Geo News licence by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and asked the authorities concerned to review the decision.

In a press statement, provincial president of the committee, Tanveer Sherazi, said the ban on Geo News was biased and an injustice. “About 10,000 employees of Geo, Jang Group would be affected by the decision,” he said.

‘Jobless politicians’ want to lure Imran into cage: Pervaiz

LAHORE: In an obvious reference to the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid on Saturday said those meeting in London were politically jobless people and they were luring Imran Khan into their cage.

Speaking to media persons here, he said the remnants of Musharraf were trying to bring together the associates of the former military dictator.

“These people are luring Imran Khan into their cage but he is scared of entering it,” the minister said.

Downplaying Friday’s meeting between Qadri and the Chaudhry brothers in London, the minister said: “It is a waste of time to comment on Dr Qadri and the Chaudhry brothers meeting. One can never enter parliament while the other cannot become an opposition,” he observed.

He said Imran had become isolated politically that’s why he was relying on rejected elements like the Chaudhrys of Gujrat and a Canadian national Tahirul Qadri.

To a question, he said Sheikh Rasheed was a ticket-less passenger, who would be checked by Khawaja Saad Rafique.

The information minister said the government would decide on the removal of Musharraf’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL) after the court ruling.

The minister said Imran Khan had no idea of national politics and wanted to fight with those the government was holding talks. He said Imran was obsessed with the issue of four constituencies. He said Imran had not mentioned the Kashmir issue in his speeches or public rallies yet.

Politicians, media, military all committed mistakes, Senate told

 

ISLAMABAD: Information Secretary of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Mushahidullah Khan on Friday cautioned in the Senate that “no channel will remain open if Geo was shut down”.
Speaking in the House on a motion moved by the opposition senators to discuss the latest political situation, the PML-N legislator also insisted that the media should forge unity in their ranks, or the freedom they had won by rendering sacrifices, would go back to those forces from whom it was won.

The senator acknowledged the struggle rendered by Geo and the Jang Group. “Those whose policies led to the martyrdom of thousands of military men, civilians and got the Lal Masjid attacked should not be punished but Geo should be shut down,” the senator caustically observed.

He said it was too much to display the image of the ISI chief and resort to the allegations and added the derogatory content about the Ahle Bait was also highly condemnable. He contended that all, including politicians, the media, intelligence agencies and military generals, made mistakes and referred to the Kargil war during which he claimed that 3,000 soldiers were martyred. “All commit mistakes but it does not mean that the one who made a mistake should be crushed,” he said.

Mushahidullah contended some institutions have had their own mechanism of accountability but it should be seen being implemented. “No one asked Musharraf till now about the Kargil debacle but Hamid Mir, who received six bullets in his body, is being ridiculed,” he maintained.

The PML-N lawmaker said that whatever today was happening was being done by the supporters of Musharraf, who might be in the media, or living in Canada, Bani Gala or Lal Haveli. “When all targetted Geo, the leader of a political party Bahadur Khan also stepped in,” he noted.

Later, winding up the debate, Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt Gen (R) Abdul Qadir Baloch alleged that Musharraf and his supporters and politically immature persons wanted to sneak into power corridors.

The minister was confident that the government was in a position to resolve the media issue immediately but would wait since it was sub-judice. He claimed those on the look to see packing up of the democratic set-up would be disappointed soon.

He assured the House that the issue would not be dragged for long and said the government, masses and the armed forces were fully aware of the challenges and the events that had recently taken place in India, Afghanistan.

PML-Q Senator Rubina Irfan, earlier, said the attack on Hamid Mir was condemnable and presenting on TV the head of top spy agency for eight hours was even more condemnable. PPP’s Senator Sardar Ali Khan said that the statement of finance minister to reduce taxes if the Ministry of Defence cuts the defence budget was uncalled for and provocative.

He alleged the government was following policy of confrontation with the State institutions. He asked the government to move for a patch-up and reconciliation vis-a-vis the media crisis. The bill to amend the National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee was unanimously passed. It would allow Islamabad High Court chief justice to also be a part of the Judicial Commission. Similarly, the House also adopted a bill to repeal the Federal Court Act, 1937.

Politicians should declare assets to stop corruption: Imran

LAHORE: The Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, said on Thursday that politicians had to declare their assets to root out corruption from the country.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of a book, ‘Haan Ye Sach Hai’, written by Brig (retd) Aslam Ghumman on corruption in the government ranks, the PTI chief said that corruption was an impediment to all growth efforts in Pakistan. The PTI chief said that corrupt leaders could never eliminate corruption in the country as it was the reason behind the decline in the level of governance and welfare in the country.

The ceremony was also addressed by PTI central leaders and parliamentarians, including Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, renowned intellectuals and writers including Hassan Nisar, Mujibur Rehman Shami and Orya Maqbool Jan.

Speaking on the occasion, Imran Khan said that corruption always started from the top and the leader who did not speak the truth always bred dishonesty at every level and in every department. He said whether it was an autocrat or democrat, their dishonesty would destroy the institutions like the judiciary, police, NAB, etc. To hide their own corruption, they either bought these people or removed them and brought corrupt people to serve their purposes, he added.

He said for a leader to succeed, he must have the courage to be honest and take tough decisions which might encourage the institutions like the judiciary, police, NAB, etc. To hide their own corruption, they either bought these people or removed them and brought corrupt people to serve their purposes, he added.

He said for a leader to succeed, he must have the courage to be honest and take tough decisions which might encourage the society to follow the values set the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Imran said that leaders like Quaid-i-Azam and Mandela rendered great sacrifices for a larger cause. They were the leaders who could bring about a change and progress in their countries. According to a Gallup survey, in last eight months in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the people of the province had achieved the satisfaction level of upto 57 percent as compared to the Punjab and other provinces, where the level of satisfaction was 27 percent and 37 percent, he added.

He said this was an indication of how in eight months corruption in KP had started decreasing and institute building started. In the next three months, a great change in the KP would be witnessed where people would support the government performance even more, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi said most of the governments had been afraid of their past and had bowed down in front of autocrats. The rulers ran away from the country when things got tough, leaving the poor on their own, he said and added that the struggle against corruption was a major challenge to create a fair governance system.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that the book was a great effort by Brig (retd) Aslam Ghumman to reveal such dishonesty. The PTI would encourage such transparency within and outside the party, he added.

PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry said that the PTI Chairman Imran Khan had always termed corruption the root cause of all evils and this book gave examples of how this had been true in the previous governments. The PTI would set new standards of accountability and transparency, he added.

Brig (retd) Aslam Ghumman, the author of the book in his address, said he had spent all his life fighting against corruption and future generations could benefit from the lessons in the book. He said Imran Khan was the leader who would be able to purge the whole set up of corruption and set the country on the path of progress.PTI Punjab Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas, MNA Shafqat Mehmood, MPAs Dr Murad Ross and Shanial Routh were also present.