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Journalists protest gag on TV channels

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: Lawyers and civil society activists on Monday joined journalists in protests against the Pakistan Government over a tough crackdown on private television channels that has prevented them from airing programmes on the political crisis.

Placard-holding protesters took out a torch-light procession to the President Musharraf's Aiwan-e-Sadr office. Earlier they gathered outside the office of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority and, in defiance of warnings by the Government that no one should "defame" the armed forces, raised slogans against the Army, Gen. Musharraf and the Government.

Journalists have also decided to observe June 7 as "black day." The protests came after three private TV channels were blocked on the cable network, with Geo joining the blacklist from Sunday.

Aaj and ARY have been off the air since Friday, ahead of a rally by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary to the North West Frontier Province town of Abbottabad, where he addressed lawyers.

Officials denied the Government was behind it, attributing it instead to "local disputes" between cable operators and television channels.

But the channels deny they have any dispute with cable operators. "The cable operators are telling us they came under pressure from the Government to take our channels off the air. There is absolutely no doubt that the Government is behind this," said Tariq Chaudhary, chief of bureau of Aaj.

The three channels were giving extensive coverage to the protests against the ouster of Mr. Chaudhary, transmitting every rally in his support live. In recent weeks, people have been glued to TV with Mr. Chaudhary's marathon processions and rallies, lasting anywhere between three hours to an entire day, receiving live coverage.

Viewers also saw live the six-hour-long attack by gunmen on Aaj TV's Karachi office on May 12, with anchors and staff prone on the floor and crying to be rescued.

Last Thursday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Muhammed Ali Durrani gave the first indication of the crackdown when he announced at a press conference that henceforth, television channels would have to seek permission before every live broadcast, including for live talk shows.

The rule was already in existence but Mr. Durrani said henceforth, it would be strictly enforced to prevent the "defamation of state institutions."

In a resolution on Sunday, the Pakistan Broadcasters' Association, a group of private TV owners, said the restrictions were "an attack on the fundamental, constitutional, right of expression."

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