Geo restored in some cities, others still waiting

 

LAHORE: In various cities of the country, cable operators have restored the Geo TV transmission though people have complained about shifting of different Geo channels to later numbers. Complaints about illegal suspension of Geo News transmission are also pouring in from various parts of the country.
In Khanqah Dogran, where people launched a severe protest against the suspension of Geo News transmission from time to time, the cable operators have restored it. However, people complained that Geo News has been put at 33 number on cable instead of its real position on 14.

Expressing their pleasure at the Geo News restoration, they demanded the cable operators to place their favourite channel at number 14 again. Punjab Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Culture Rana Muhammad Arshad regretted that Geo News transmission was suspended for 17 days and Geo Tez for 40 days in Shahkot. He called upon the cable operators to restore the Geo channels immediately. He said the Geo channels are the most favourite channels of the people and the Geo TV network played an unforgettable role in the restoration of democracy and movement for an independent judiciary in the country.

In Gojra, people have expressed their pleasure at the restoration of Geo News on its real position at cable network. However, in various cities, including Karachi, Lah

Some people want to end democracy in country: Siraj

LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Ameer Maulana Sirajul Haq has said that some people wanted to bring democracy to an end in the country as the issues being faced by the country could not be discussed while sitting in London.

He rejected the plan to form an opposition alliance in London and demanded of the leaders gathered there to come back to the country and try to correct things here.Talking to the media after chairing a party meeting at Mansoora on Sunday, Sirajul Haq said a clash among the institutions would harm democracy. JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch, other leaders and workers were also present.

The JI Ameer said instead of destabilising the government, the opposition should give the rulers time to deliver and find out solutions to people’s problems.He said the PTI Chairman Imran Khan had the right to protest against the ‘rigging’ in elections as “the Election Commission had failed to conduct impartial, free and fair elections”.

The JI Ameer asked the government to announce a special package of Rs100 billion each for Karachi and the tribal areas for rehabilitation of the people affected by terrorism there. He urged the PM to expose those who wanted to sabotage the peace talks with the Taliban.

The JI leader alleged that the PM’s evasion of Kashmir and water issues during his visit to India and avoiding a meeting with the Hurriyat Conference leadership sent a negative message to the people of Kashmir. He said the people of Pakistan were standing with their Kashmiri brothers in their struggle for freedom.

He advised the government to go through its election manifesto once again and implement it instead of complaining against the people’s wrath.Sirajul Haq said the tribal people were patriotic and had equal rights to the country’s resources. The government should launch education and health schemes in the tribal areas and create jobs for them.

He said the political parties had given the government the mandate for peace talks, but it had started an operation there without taking the parties into confidence. As a result, the tribal people had become sandwiched between the government and the Taliban.

He urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to visit North and South Waziristan to get cooperation from the tribal people. Meanwhile, addressing the annual meeting of the IJT, the JI chief said the elements talking of secularism were in fact going against the will of the Father of the Nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the Constitution.

Pemra terms meeting of some of its members illegal

ISLAMABAD: Some private members of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) had a meeting here on Wednesday on the Geo issue that was termed in defiance of the honourable Islamabad High Court orders by the authority’s ex-officio members.

The meeting, held in continuation of a similar event on May 20, formed a three-member committee to ensure implementation of the private members decisions on Geo. It will consist of Israr Abbasi, Fareeha Iftikhar and Shama Parveen.The meeting was declared illegal and invalid by the authority in its reaction late on Wednesday night.

The authority issued a statement following the May 28 meeting to clarify that the meeting called by the private members in isolation had no legal consequence. The ex-officio members pointed out in the statement that a consensual Pemra meeting was to be held on May 27 that was cancelled on the orders of the Islamabad High Court.

Moreover, all the members were informed in writing accordingly. It was decided by majority of the members that the next meeting would be convened after the decision/ further orders by the court. Therefore, the majority members felt that Wednesday’s meeting of some private members was in defiance of the court orders and thus the majority members did not attend it.

The previous meeting of private members, declared illegal by Pemra, had recommended revocation of the licences of Geo News, Geo Entertainment and Geo Tez and shutting down of their offices. Talking to media persons after the meeting, the private members — Israr Abbasi, Fareeha Iftikhar and Mian Shams — defended the meeting.

Replying to questions, Abbasi said the issue of apology by Geo and the Jang Group would be taken up in the authority’s next meeting on June 17. He said one official member had asked them to wait for the court order instead of holding a meeting to which they did not agree and held the meeting on the complaint of the Ministry of Defence against Geo.

Asked what the status of a meeting that was not attended by all the government members was, Abbasi contended that a forum participated by four, five or six members was legal and its decision was that of the authority.

About the cancellation of May 27 meeting, he said that it was cancelled after the court orders and their today’s meeting was according to the rules. Asked if the meeting was legal, then why the government members had moved the Islamabad High Court and also did not attend the today’s meeting, he said it was mentioned in Section 5 that if the government issued any policy or direction, it would be binding on the authority.

He added, therefore, if the government had formulated a policy and made up its mind not to take any action, then it should intimate the Pemra in writing that the matter was over.Abbasi said this game of cat and mouse should not be played.

He charged that the government, particularly the Ministry of Information, was under pressure and the authority’s employees were also being intimidated.Abbasi said they had asked the Council of Complaints, Islamabad, to give its opinion on the matter and the Sindh’s Council of Complaints’ recommendations would also be discussed during the next meeting.

Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Dr Nazir Saeed and six other members initially had discussions with private members but after a deadlock, they stayed away from it. Ex-officio members, according to sources, contended that the meeting should be held after four weeks.

Some elements unhappy with govt-TTP ceasefire: Nawaz

 

LONDON: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Monday said some elements unhappy with the Taliban ceasefire were ‘neither our, nor the TTP’s friends’.
Talking to BBC, Nawaz said these elements, who were enemies of peace, wanted to deteriorate the affairs. “These elements carried out attacks at the Islamabad fruit and vegetable market and other places and we are trying to hunt them down.”

At the conclusion of his first trip to the UK after assuming the office of the prime minister, Nawaz told the BBC that attacks had gone down in Pakistan but not ceased fully.Asked how the security situation could be improved to attract the foreign investment, the prime minister said the security problem had been continuing since 9/11.

“This problem has been lingering on since the country had dictatorship. Had there not been martial laws, the security problem would not have emerged in the country. During democracy, the country has never had a security problem.”

On extremism, Nawaz said the martial law administrators pushed the politicians to the wall and built relations with those had no relations with democracy. “The result of this practice is what we are witnessing today. These are our own mistakes; this is production of our own sins.”

He further said: “Wounds were inflicted on Balochistan. We all know how Nawab Akbar Bugti was assassinated and then buried in the presence of a few people. Nobody has forgotten these scenes. I too feel the pain of the Baloch people.”

He said the government, the armed forces and intelligence agencies were making progress on the issue of security.“Our first priority is to resolve this problem through talks. Talks are on. Progress in talks is less than our expectations but if we achieve peace without any more bloodshed, nothing is more desirable than it.”

Regarding a recent statement of the army chief, Nawaz said he was right in saying that the Constitution was supreme and everybody should respect it. “Many misconceptions have been cleared after this statement of the army chief,” he added.

Asked that while the PPP and other parties say they would support democracy, voices are raised throughout the country when a journalist points a finger at a state institution, Nawaz said: “I do not think that we should hold somebody responsible for it at once. Speculations should not be made unless the facts come forward. We should wait for the findings of the judicial commission on Hamid Mir attack, which will fix the responsibility.”

He said nothing was done to heal the wounds of Balochistan in the previous government, but this time representatives of the people had made the government in the province. He said Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik had been tasked with wooing the angry elements and bringing them back into the mainstream politics.

The premier said his government will provide gas to each city of Balochistan and lay down a network of roads. “During these five years, a lot of work will be done in Balochistan to reduce the sense of deprivation there. Those who committed the atrocities against the Baloch people will have to pay for it,” he said.

“Dictatorship gives birth to racism, sectarianism and social and economic inequalities. Forty years ago, there was no talk of who was Shia and who was Sunni but when the undemocratic forces came, sectarian elements became their helpers and dictatorship became the breeding ground for terrorism,” he said.

Nawaz said he wanted better relations with both India and Afghanistan. “I had good relations with President Hamid Karzai and we will have to improve the relations with whatever (party) comes to power in India. We will talk to whoever the Indian people give mandate to. We will try to improve relations with them. We will bring back the good time of 1999 when Vajpayee came to Pakistan. Train, trade and visa services should be improved. We will also talk to India on the issue of electricity. We will try to move ahead on the issue of Kashmir.”

About extremism, he said it was rooted in dictatorship, deviation from the path of law and justice, and social and economic inequalities. “Had Pakistan been on the path of democracy, there would not have been a trace of these things today,” he said.

Nawaz is scheduled to visit Iran shortly to cement the ties and talk on the issues of gas, trade and frontier affairs. He said he wanted to promote historical relations with Iran. “We want strong relations with the UK. The UK is doing a lot in the field of education for Pakistan. It has initiated many development programmes which we value.”

He said his UK counterpart had said that they wanted expanded relations with Pakistan in the field of security. He said the UK was also ready to help Pakistan overcome the ongoing energy crisis.

On his government’s 10-month progress, Nawaz said his government had paid attention to education, energy, economy and countering extremism. He said these four points were included in his party’s manifesto. He said the country’s economy was improving and his government will increase the education budget from two to four percent.

Nawaz said new power houses were being built which will help overcome the energy crisis. He added that his government was thinking about the country’s needs for the next 20-25 years. He said over the last 65 years, power generating units with a capacity to produce 23,000 MW were installed in the country whereas in the coming eight years the country will have 21,000 MW additional electricity. “Had we not believed (that we will be able to make it), we would not have promised it in our manifesto,” he said.