Dubai agrees to pull plug on Pakistani TV networks
Story Highlights
NEW: GEO-TV president: "It seemed very that obvious they were going to do this"
Order comes on the request of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf
GEO-TV and ARY Digital offer varied programming, including news
Both networks transmit from the United Arab Emirates
LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- Two Pakistani television networks that transmit from Dubai in United Arab Emirates were ordered off the air Friday at the request of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, officials from the networks said.
Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, has been under pressure to lift a state of emergency.
GEO-TV and ARY Digital offer a variety of programming, including news, entertainment, sports and music.
Both networks had been banned from Pakistan's cable television system -- along with other networks, including CNN and BBC -- since Musharraf declared a state of emergency on November 3.
This latest action prevents the two Pakistani networks from broadcasting worldwide via satellite.
"This was basically our window to the world, GEO President Imran Aslan said. "In Pakistan, we've been shut down since the 3rd."
The action was not wholly unexpected, but surprising nevertheless, Aslan said.
"We uplink from Dubai, never having had a license to uplink from Pakistan," he said. "Dubai is a media city which seemed to be a haven and a sanctuary."
Aslan said network officials have been in discussions with Pakistani government officials and "it seemed very obvious that they were going to do this. We were ready for it to a certain extent."
"Eventually they decided to put their feet on the pipe, as it were."
The government has made numerous demands of the network, although none of them official, Aslan said.
"It's done through intermediaries," he said. "[Dulling] down the content, not having certain anchors, some of the hosts of our programs and talk shows."
Musharraf's emergency order put several restrictions on the media, preventing journalists from expressing opinions prejudicial to "the ideology ... or integrity of Pakistan."
Journalists are also restricted from covering suicide bombings and militant activity and could face three-year jail terms if they "ridicule" members of the government or armed forces.
Almost a dozen journalists have been arrested.
Musharraf has denied that his restrictions bar criticism, saying they only ask for responsibility in reporting.
But last week, Pakistan expelled three print journalists for using language in an editorial that a Pakistani official called offensive to Musharraf.
The editorial criticized Musharraf, and the United States and Britain for continuing to support him.
While many Pakistani journalists have protested the restrictions, some smaller television channels have complied with the government's restrictions.
GEO and ARY have refused.
"It seems most of the other channels have kowtowed in order to survive," Aslan said.
Musharraf has said the emergency order improves stability and will foster peaceful parliamentary elections, which he has said he would like to see take place before January 9.
The exact date will be set by Pakistan's Election Commission.
Opposition leaders have accused Musharraf of declaring emergency rule to keep his hold on power and avoid an expected court ruling that would have nullified his election victory in October.
Dubai agrees to pull plug on Pakistani TV networks - CNN.com
Pakistan's private Geo TV says forced to shut down
Sat Nov 17, 2007 5:01am IST
KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistan's private Geo television network, ordered off air during President Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule, said on Saturday it had been forced to close down altogether after it was ordered to halt transmissions via the United Arab Emirates.
Geo, Pakistan's biggest television network, has offices and studios in Dubai Media City, from where it broadcasts news.
"We have been told by the (Dubai) Media City that our transmission will be shut down," Imran Aslam, president of Geo News, told Reuters. "This is all I can say at the moment."
No one at Dubai Media City was immediately available for comment.
Local and international television channels disappeared from cable television in Pakistan amid media curbs imposed by military ruler Musharraf on Nov. 3, which ban reporting which humiliates the presidency, military or government.
Some channels have since resumed broadcasts, but Geo has refused to agree to a new government media code.
The television network has challenged the government's curbs in the High Court in Sindh province. The next hearing is due on Nov. 20.
The media have flourished since Musharraf seized power in a bloodless 1999 coup, but the feisty private media that grew up during his rule have been highly critical of him since he tried to sack the country's chief justice in March.
Musharraf has accused some television channels of adding to the uncertainty that led him to impose emergency rule -- which critics say was solely aimed at trying to hold on to power.
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Pakistan's private Geo TV says forced to shut down | Reuters
Private channels forced to shut down in Pakistan
The Times of India -Breaking news, views. reviews, cricket from across India
17 Nov 2007, 0939 hrs IST , PTI
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's private Geo and Ary News channels on Saturday shut down due to "pressure from the Pakistan government".
Both channels carried flashes saying they were shutting down due to pressure mounted by the Pakistan government on foreign country they were operating from. They did not give details.
Both channels had shifted their operations to Dubai following curbs imposed on media by President Pervez Musharraf after the imposition of Emergency.
All Pakistani and foreign private news channels were taken off the airways soon after the Emergency was imposed on November 3.
Most of them were allowed to resume broadcasting on cable TV networks on Thursday after they agreed to adhere to guidelines laid down by the government. But Geo and Ary news channels remained off the air.
Since the imposition of Emergency, Geo had emerged as a key source of information through its broadcast via satellite and on the Internet.
An announcer on Geo said the Pakistan government had succeeded in pressuring foreign authorities to stop the channels, satellite broadcasts from abroad.
Among Geo's best known anchors ware Hamid Mir and Shahid Masood, who hosted current affairs programmes and were critical of the military regime and the Emergency.
The channel had recently rejected the government's demand that they should be removed.
In March, police had attacked Geo's office in Islamabad after authorities were apparently irked by its coverage of the confrontation between lawyers and the government over Musharraf's attempt to sack former Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar M Chaudhry.
Private channels forced to shut down in Pakistan-Pakistan-World-The Times of India
Pakistan's private Geo TV says forced to shut down
Fri Nov 16, 2007 4:21pm EST
KARACHI (Reuters) - Pakistan's private Geo television network, ordered off air during President Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule, said on Saturday it had been forced to close down altogether after it was ordered to halt transmissions via the United Arab Emirates.
Geo, Pakistan's biggest television network, has offices and studios in Dubai Media City, from where it broadcasts news.
"We have been told by the (Dubai) Media City that our transmission will be shut down," Imran Aslam, president of Geo News, told Reuters. "This is all I can say at the moment."
No one at Dubai Media City was immediately available for comment.
Local and international television channels disappeared from cable television in Pakistan amid media curbs imposed by military ruler Musharraf on November 3, which ban reporting which humiliates the presidency, military or government.
Some channels have since resumed broadcasts, but Geo has refused to agree to a new government media code.
The television network has challenged the government's curbs in the High Court in Sindh province. The next hearing is due on November 20.
The media have flourished since Musharraf seized power in a bloodless 1999 coup, but the feisty private media that grew up during his rule have been highly critical of him since he tried to sack the country's chief justice in March.
Musharraf has accused some television channels of adding to the uncertainty that led him to impose emergency rule -- which critics say was solely aimed at trying to hold on to power.
(Reporting by Faisal Aziz, editing by Simon Gardner)
© Reuters2007All rights reserved
Pakistan's private Geo TV says forced to shut down | U.S. | Reuters
Musharraf shuts down Geo TV
By Muhammad Saleh Zaafir
ISLAMABAD: Geo News, Pakistan's premier Urdu news channel, also seen round the world as the main source of news and current affairs, was shut down at 1 a.m. Pakistan time (12 midnight Dubai time) after President Pervez Musharraf put tremendous pressure to silence a media outlet which had refused to bow down to his dictates.
Sources said President Pervez Musharraf himself intervened to stop all Geo News transmissions from Dubai, after a two-week standoff in Pakistan during which all major news channels were shut down by cable operators, who are directly controlled by the Pakistani authorities.
The closure of the Geo News was universally condemned by almost every political party and member of the civil society minutes before the anchors, almost in tears, signed off.
PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif told Dr. Shahid Masood on telephone from London it was a tragic moment in Pakistan's history as the Musharraf regime was bent upon destroying every symbol of free speech and democracy in the country.
Makhdoon Amin Faheem, the PPP Vice Chairman, told the Geo News in its dying moments that it would be a tragedy for the country and democracy if Geo went off the air, which it did minutes later.
Lt. General Talat Masood, former Chief Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqi and many others representing the civil society, who used to regularly appear in Geo talk shows, expressed shock and disgust at the decision to shut down Geo News.
Popular news anchors came on Geo News around midnight Pakistan time to announce that the channel had been ordered to go off the air as result of the continued deadlock between the Pakistani authorities and the media channels, following the imposition of emergency in the country.
In Pakistan, all Geo channels were blocked by the military regime after the imposition of the emergency but on Friday two main channels, Dawn News and AAJ were back on air, with AAJ announcing that its two most popular talks shows, hosted by Talat Hussain, Nusrat Javeed and Mushtaq Minhas, were suspended temporarily.
The Geo News was shut down because it had refused to budge. After six years of objective and highly-professional telecasts, which earned the channel the honour of being the most popular TV channel, the Government of Pakistan put it off the air on Nov 4 after emergency was imposed.
The Geo News was under pressure from the day one. The government tried to bring it down but the channel became a household name in Pakistan and abroad and was declared by international observers as the most seen TV channel.
Its role in the judicial crisis which started on March 9, when the President filed a reference against the Chief Justice, was highly applauded, both domestically and internationally.
Geo kept the whole world informed about the developments regarding the events unfolding during the struggle of people of Pakistan for restoration of dignity of the judiciary through its objective reporting by giving all points of view. The programmes, talk shows and commentaries produced by Geo created an impact and awareness among the people.
Sources said the government first asked the Geo administration to stop the most popular programmes of popular TV hosts Dr. Shahid Masood, Hamid Mir and Kamran Khan without offering any tangible reason why they should be stopped.
After the success of the Chief Justice campaign all private news channels were banned from telecasting live programmes and filming outside the studios.
The media protested against the move and the government had to accept its demands. The shows were allowed to continue but live coverage was banned.
In the meanwhile General Pervez Musharraf kept on resorting to pressure tactics and the Geo channels revenue sources were targeted.
Under his orders, all government advertisements were not only stopped but other commercial advertisers were also pressurized not to give business to Geo. The channel withstood all the pressures and suffered huge losses. A statement submitted in the Sindh High Court on Friday said almost Rs 1 billion was lost by the channel.
After the emergency, General Musharraf banned Geo and other channels inside Pakistan. Geo withstood the pressure and refused to sign on the dotted line.
The sources pointed out that the government under General Pervez Musharraf enhanced its pressure on the media to regulate itself under the command of the administration after the clamping of emergency.
The media was strangulated through an ordinance that placed restrictions on its freedom that had no precedent. It was virtually made impossible to carry on free journalism in the country in the presence of the said ordinance.
A so-called code of conduct was thrust upon the media to follow without any consultations with the journalist community. Private channels were asked to sign an undertaking that would have made the channels subservient to the authorities.
This was done after suspending all private channels of the country and the channel administrations were asked to accept the conditions and sign the document of undertaking.
They were told to accept provisional licenses instead of the permanent ones they had. The earlier licenses were cancelled through the same order. The sources said that General Pervez Musharraf asked the channels to stop their current affairs programmes which were not acceptable to him and demanded that anchorpersons should be fired.
The channels which signed the document were restored on the cable. Some channels accepted the official advice while others refused to follow. Geo declined to oblige General pervez Musharraf as the demands included cooperation on all points which the new caretaker government would bring up.
It was demanded that Geo should stop the objectionable current affairs programmes and toe the official line. The authorities wanted that the channel should cooperate with President General Pervez Musharraf.
The channel was further asked to submit all its programmes for monitoring by government officials as no programme without clearance would not be aired.
The sources said that Geo was first forbidden in Pakistan through cable operators and then pressure was mounted through the authorities concerned of the country from where it was being aired.
The channel was being seen at some places in the country through dish antennas and internet but the government's technical experts first tried to stop it on the internet and then a ban was placed on the import of dish antenna and relevant equipment used for receiving direct satellite signals.
The authorities in the host country had to ask the Geo News to stop its telecast from their up-linking station under excruciating pressure coming from the Government of Pakistan without considering its long-term adverse impact on the image of the host country.
The authorities concerned while conveying the message of the Pakistan Government to close down the channel, ridiculed the decision as they had no experience of facing such a demand which was contrary to all norms of decency and business in the modern time business culture, the sources revealed.
At 1 am PST, Geo's voice was silenced by General Pervez Musharraf as its anchors, almost in tears, bid farewell to its viewers throughout the world.
Musharraf shuts down Geo TV
Geo TV silenced in Dubai
NDTV Correspondent
Saturday, November 17, 2007 (Islamabad)
Freedom of press is an obsolete concept at least in Pakistan.
Shortly after President Musharraf imposed emergency in the country, all TV channels that challenged his decision in any way or refused to cow down have been under fire.
The latest casualty is private run Geo TV, which has been forced to shut down by the UAE government under pressure from Pakistan.
''This was not unexpected but we were surprised they managed to shut us down in Dubai, which is where we had our up-link (satellite) facilities and this is the bi-media city which guarantees a great deal of freedom and I am certainly surprised because this will obviously have an impact on investment opportunities, for instance in Dubai,'' said Imran Aslam, President, Geo Network.
All Pakistani and foreign private news channels were taken off the airways soon after the emergency was imposed on November 3.
Most channels were allowed to resume broadcasting on cable TV networks after they agreed to obey the guidelines laid down by the government.
But Geo and Ary news channels remained off air.
Geo TV was an Urdu channel that was established in May 2002 and officially began transmission in October 2002.
It has been rated as the third most watched channel in Pakistan by Gallup.
Geo News had earlier shifted its main operations to Dubai in 2005 after restrictions were imposed on the media by President Pervez Musharraf.
The police had attacked Geo's office in Islamabad after authorities were apparently unhappy with the coverage of the confrontation between lawyers and the government over Musharraf's sacking of Chief Justice Iftikar Chaudhry in March.
NDTV.com: Geo TV silenced in Dubai
Two Pakistani news networks are shut down in Dubai
New York, November 16, 2007â€"The Committee to Protect Journalists is greatly alarmed that news channels on the Pakistani networks GEO TV and ARY Digital were ordered by authorities to halt transmission today from the United Arab Emirates after refusing to sign a Pakistani government-mandated "code of conduct."
GEO TV was ordered by the UAE Information Ministry in Dubai to cease satellite and Internet broadcasts by midnight local time on Friday, according to Sami Abraham, senior correspondent and producer of GEO TV in New York. ARY Digital received a similar order with no reason given for the shut down, according to ARY news director Mohsin Raza.
"We are surprised that the authorities in Dubai, which is developing as a regional free trade and communications hub, would prevent such satellite transmissions," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "We call on Pakistani and UAE authorities to reverse this order immediately and allow private TV networks to report on the important developments taking place in Pakistan without being subject to stifling official restrictions."
GEO TV and ARY Digital were the only networks that had not returned to cable distribution in Pakistan since the shut down of all private broadcasters on November 3 after President Pervez Musharraf suspended the country's constitution. The news channels had remained accessible in Pakistan via Internet or satellite before today's blackout.
Networks had been told to sign the 14-page code of conduct by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority if they wanted to resume transmission in the wake of recent political turmoil in Pakistan. GEO TV and ARY Digital refused to sign. The agreement bypasses due process if stations violate government regulations.
CPJ News Alert 2007
Geo TV closed down
Saturday November 17, 2007 (0343 PST)
KARACHI: Under extreme pressure from Musharraf government, Geo News has been shut down late Friday night. This is the latest move by the government to slap the curbs on media especially Geo TV Network, which has been off air with all its entertainment channels since the imposition of emergency.
Earlier, Geo TV network has been ordered to shut down by authorities of the country from where it is being aired. Now, the telecast of Geo News would not be viewed even through dish antenna.
It was told from the authorities of the country where the Geo News is being aired that the news channel would be off air across the globe.
It should be noted that Geo news and its entire sister channels had been closed down across Pakistan after the imposition of emergency.
Earlier, the cable operators in Pakistan were forced to close all channels being operated by Geo Network and the Pakistani viewers were deprived of the great source of information. However, the Geo TV was on air from its Dubai office.
According to Geo News, it was told to the network by the authorities of the concerned country that viewers across the globe would be able to watch the other channels of Geo Network including Geo Entertainment, Aag TV and Geo Super over Dish antenna.
Geo News analyst Dr Shahid Masud said that it is appreciable that Geo administration did not surrender from its viewpoint.
According to Geo TV network, it did not surrender to the will of the government and did not sign any paper of compliance with the government, for which it has been punished that its worldwide telecast is being gagged.
According to Geo News analysts, while nearly all other entertainment channels were allowed to operate freely; however, most discriminately, its entertainment channels were also made off air.
On this occasion, Senior Geo News analyst Kamran Khan, Host of Capital Talk Hamid Mir, Dr Amir Liaquat Hussein, Geo News Senior analyst Nasir Beig Chughtai, Justice (rtd) Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui, Senior defence analyst (Rtd) Talat Masud and British member of Parliament Mohammed Sarwar expressed their grief over this government step regarding closing down the Geo News network and condemned this fresh government attack on the media.
It should be noted that nearly all the news channels of the country were taken off air, as soon as the emergency was announced in the country. PEMRA hammered out code of conduct for the media to follow and it was said only those channels would be allowed to operate if they fall in line with the government wishes.
End.
Pakistan News Service - PakTribune
US envoy visiting Pakistan talks to Bhutto ahead of meeting Musharraf
2007-11-17 07:02:08 -
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Washington's No. 2 diplomat was due for an all-important sitdown with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Saturday after talking by phone overnight with one of the his chief rivals, hoping that face-to-face diplomacy would convince the general to move back on the path to democracy.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John
Negroponte's trip was seen as a last best chance to avoid political turmoil in Pakistan, which has seen its Supreme Court purged and thousands of protesters detained since Musharraf declared emergency rule on Nov. 3.
Negroponte phoned opposition leader Benazir Bhutto overnight, the U.S. State Department said, in the highest-level U.S. contact with the Pakistani opposition leader since the emergency began.
The conversation came just hours after Bhutto was released from house arrest, one of a number of face-saving measures the government took ahead of the senior American diplomat's arrival. A prominent human rights activist was also released, and several opposition television news stations were allowed back on the air.
But there were also some ominous signs, with two major independent television news stations _ Geo and ARY _ which transmit from nearby Dubai, deciding to take their broadcasts off the air in response to what they said was pressure from Musharraf on the Dubai government to shut them down.
GEO news broadcast a continuous video of a thunderstorm at sea, with its logo floating on the choppy waves. It said in a statement that it had made the decision after receiving word that «the government of Pakistan is using its influence with a foreign country to get the Geo TV network closed down.
Pakistan's government did not immediately comment on the allegations.
Bhutto and Musharraf had been negotiating a power-sharing arrangement, but talks apparently collapsed as the general moved against the opposition following his decision to suspend the constitution.
Negroponte «wanted to hear from her how she viewed the political situation in Pakistan,» U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said of the call to Bhutto, who has been increasingly strident in her demands that Musharraf resign. She has proposed that the opposition come together in a unity front, which could serve as a transition government ahead of elections if Musharraf can be convinced to step down.
The general, who until recently had been considered a vital U.S. ally and a bulwark in the war against terrorism, has steadfastly refused. In recent interviews, he has expressed exasperation with the mounting pressure from the West since he declared the emergency.
Musharraf has also come under fire for his military's recent losses in fighting with pro-Taliban militants in Swat, where fighting has raged since July. The army announced Saturday that it had killed up to 40 militants, bringing to more than 100 the number who have died in recent days. A militant spokesman said the government's figures are greatly exaggerated, but acknowledged suffering some casualties.
Forces loyal to a rebel cleric _ Maulana Fazlullah _ have captured several villages, police stations and government building.
Negroponte and Musharraf are expected to speak Saturday, McCormack said, although no time was given and the meeting was not expected to be open to the media. He was also expected to meet with several other political and military leaders here, underscoring Washington's desire to reach out to a wide array of Pakistani decision-makers.
In his discussion with Bhutto, Negroponte underscored Washington's opposition to Musharraf's extraconstitutional actions and its desire to see her and other opposition figures free to peacefully participate in Pakistan's political sphere, McCormack said.
Negroponte came to Islamabad to press Musharraf and his government to quickly end the state of emergency, set a date for free and fair legislative elections in January and release opposition leaders. The U.S. also wants Musharraf to give up his position as army chief.
Negroponte arrived Friday from a stop in Africa, where he said that the democratic process in Pakistan had been «derailed.
«Our message is that we want to work with the government and people of Pakistan and the political actors in Pakistan to put the political process back on track as soon as possible,» Negroponte said.
Musharraf is pressing ahead with disputed plans for January elections, swearing in an interim government led by a loyalist charged with preparing Pakistan for the vote, and defending his record during the eight years since he seized power in a coup.
Opposition parties as well as the U.S. and Britain say the ballot cannot be fair unless the restrictions are lifted. Demonstrations continued Friday in defiance of a ban on political gatherings.
Bhutto was freed Friday from house arrest imposed three days earlier to stop her from leading anti-Musharraf protests. She immediately reiterated her call for Musharraf to quit power, and said his sidelining of moderate opponents had allowed the rise of Islamic extremism.
On Friday, Musharraf swore in an interim government headed by a loyalist former Senate chairman. Parliament was dissolved Thursday after completing its five-year term. The caretakers will manage the country until elections due by Jan. 9.
US envoy visiting Pakistan talks to Bhutto ahead of meeting Musharraf
Geo TV pulled off air
By a staff reporter
17 November 2007
DUABI â€" A Dubai-based Pakistani TV channel has been asked to shut down its operation, an official of the news channel said yesterday.
The Urdu-language news channel, Geo, was to shut down by midnight yesterday, the official said.
Most of the private news and other channels in Pakistan were pulled off air after the imposition of emergency by President Pervez Musharraf on November 3.
Khaleej Times Online - Geo TV pulled off air
Geo TV closed down
KARACHI: Under extreme pressure from Musharraf government, Geo News has been shut down late Friday night. This is the latest move by the government to slap the curbs on media especially Geo TV Network, which has been off air with all its entertainment channels since the imposition of emergency.
Earlier, Geo TV network has been ordered to shut down by authorities of the country from where it is being aired. Now, the telecast of Geo News would not be viewed even through dish antenna.
It was told from the authorities of the country where the Geo News is being aired that the news channel would be off air across the globe.
It should be noted that Geo news and its entire sister channels had been closed down across Pakistan after the imposition of emergency.
Earlier, the cable operators in Pakistan were forced to close all channels being operated by Geo Network and the Pakistani viewers were deprived of the great source of information. However, the Geo TV was on air from its Dubai office.
According to Geo News, it was told to the network by the authorities of the concerned country that viewers across the globe would be able to watch the other channels of Geo Network including Geo Entertainment, Aag TV and Geo Super over Dish antenna.
Geo News analyst Dr Shahid Masud said that it is appreciable that Geo administration did not surrender from its viewpoint.
According to Geo TV network, it did not surrender to the will of the government and did not sign any paper of compliance with the government, for which it has been punished that its worldwide telecast is being gagged.
According to Geo News analysts, while nearly all other entertainment channels were allowed to operate freely; however, most discriminately, its entertainment channels were also made off air.
On this occasion, Senior Geo News analyst Kamran Khan, Host of Capital Talk Hamid Mir, Dr Amir Liaquat Hussein, Geo News Senior analyst Nasir Beig Chughtai, Justice (rtd) Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui, Senior defence analyst (Rtd) Talat Masud and British member of Parliament Mohammed Sarwar expressed their grief over this government step regarding closing down the Geo News network and condemned this fresh government attack on the media.
It should be noted that nearly all the news channels of the country were taken off air, as soon as the emergency was announced in the country. PEMRA hammered out code of conduct for the media to follow and it was said only those channels would be allowed to operate if they fall in line with the government wishes.
End.
Pakistan News Service - PakTribune
Shutting down due to pressure from Govt: Pak TV Channels
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan's private Geo and Ary News channels on Saturday shut down due to "pressure from the Pakistan government".
Both channels carried flashes saying they were shutting down due to pressure mounted by the Pakistan government on foreign country they were operating from. They did not give details.
Both channels had shifted their operations to Dubai following curbs imposed on media by President Pervez Musharraf after the imposition of emergency.
All Pakistani and foreign private news channels were taken off the airways soon after the emergency was imposed on November 3.
Most of them were allowed to resume broadcasting on cable TV networks Thursday after they agreed to adhere to guidelines laid down by the government. But Geo and Ary news channels remained off the air.
Since the imposition of emergency, Geo had emerged as a key source of information through its broadcast via satellite and on the Internet.
The Hindu News Update Service
News channels of Geo, ARY shut down
By Our Correspondent
ISLAMABAD, Nov 16: The Geo television network said on Friday that it had been ordered to shut down its news channel. The channel beams its signals from Dubai. Late on Friday night, a spokesman for the ARY network called Dawn's Karachi and Lahore offices, saying that the group had been told to shut down its news channel.
An announcement on the Geo News said the authorities in Dubai had asked the network's administration to close down its operations by Friday midnight.
The network said no reason had been given for the move. However, a senior member of the network, Dr Shahid Masood, came on air to say that it had apparently been done on pressure from Islamabad.
Shortly before the declaration of the state of emergency on Nov 3, the government had used its influence over local cable operators to pull the plug on all domestic and foreign news channels. These included Dawn News, Aaj, Geo, Ary One World, as well as BBC World, CNN and Al-Jazeera.
This was perhaps the biggest news blackout in the history of Pakistan as for nearly two weeks viewers were deprived of all independent news on private television channels, with only the state-run Pakistan Television being allowed to beam news.
Despite the ban, the television channels that beam programmes from ground stations based in Dubai had continued with their transmissions. Although the channels were not available on cable in Pakistan, they could be viewed either through satellite dish, or outside Pakistan.
Over the last couple of days, however, cable operators had been allowed to air a number of domestic and foreign news channels. But in an unprecedented move on Friday night, the authorities in Dubai asked Geo News to shut down its transmission.
It was not clear for how long the network will have to keep its transmission suspended, but one of the most senior anchors at Geo, Kamran Khan, came on air around midnight to express hope that such a situation would not last long.
Our Correspondent adds from Washington: The United States said on Friday that Islamabad's decision to ban certain private television channels has troubled it.
"We are troubled by this expansion of restrictions on the media despite our calls to ease the restrictions," a State Department official said while commenting on the decision.
News channels of Geo, ARY shut down -DAWN - Top Stories; November 17, 2007
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