KARACHI: The central office of the Geo and Jang Media Group was attacked on Sunday by protesters in Karachi.

A mob broke a walkthrough gate installed at the entrance of the building as well as the main entrance door to the building. The staff inside the building were also attacked and violently pushed around.

According to Geo News Karachi Bureau Chief Faheem Siddiqui, protesters attacked the building “under an elaborate plot”. He said a protest had been announced in advance but “there were no law enforcement officers present” and no action was taken against the protesters when they attacked. The protesters were enraged over a video from a Geo News programme on social media, the edited version of which has gone viral, said Siddiqui. “What you see on social media is not how it was said on the show,” he said, adding that Geo News had also aired a clarification as well as an apology on the same show. “What remains to be known is who these protesters are,” he added. Anchor Irshad Bhatti from television show “Khabarnaak” clarified that his show is of comedy and satire and “Sindh and Sindhis are part of his identity as is any other province.”

“Ladies and gentleman, welcome. I wish to state here, that in the last one or two shows, our brothers from Sindh, where on the one hand showed us a lot of appreciation and gave us a lot of love, on the other hand, expressed reservations against a sentence or two.

“I wish to tell everyone this is a programme of satire and comedy, and the way Punjab, KP, Balochistan, GB, Azad Kashmir are dear to me, Sindh and Sindhis are a part of my identity. My life is dedicated to Sindh and Sindhis,” he said.

Managing Director Geo News Azhar Abbas, sharing footage of the damage left in the wake of the attack, wrote: “Everyone has right to peaceful protest. We will protect and support that right. But doing violence and taking the law into their own hands, regardless of the cause, can’t be tolerated. Dialogue is answer to all issues — not violence.”

Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah arrived at the venue and proceeded to resolve the matter by speaking to the protesters. He had earlier also appeared on air to express solidarity with the media group. When asked why police did not act promptly, Shah said he strongly condemns such violence. “I spoke to the SSP and I was told the protest was to head from Shaheen Complex to Press Club but they came this way.” He said everyone has a right to protest but no one has the right to harm anyone. “Action will be taken against whoever took the law into their hands.” The information minister said that Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah has also ordered “strict action” to be taken against all those found involved.

Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz, speaking to Geo News, said that violence is not acceptable under any circumstances. “If someone has any grievance or reservations, they always have the choice to launch a formal protest […] I have found out that the matter pertains to a show where some light humour was aired. The immediate responsibility is that of the Sindh government […] why were no security forces available?” he asked.

Governor Sindh Imran Ismail said it was an unfortunate incident that had occurred and expressed his sympathies. “We must understand people’s sensitivities while airing things on our channels. Something occurred that hurt people’s sentiments. As far as I know, an apology and clarification were given by Geo, so this matter should have been let go of. “They could have still protested peacefully with banners, but violence can never be supported. So to all those protesting outside, I request: Please accept Geo’s apology and clarification. Forgive whatever transpired. This goes completely against the hospitality and love for people that are part and parcel of Sindh’s values and culture,” Imran said. The governor was surprised to know police had not sprung into action. He said he would ask the Inspector General of Police to look into the matter immediately and to send officers for the staff’s protection.

Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed condemned the attack on Geo News’ building and termed it a “cowardly act”. “The government fully believes in freedom of the press,” Rasheed said, adding: “I hope Sindh government will ensure the security of the Jang, Geo office.” He said his ministry will extend all possible support.

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry also condemned the attack and demanded that police take action against those responsible. “A disagreement does not mean you round up 200-400 people and attack a place,” he said.

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar strongly condemned the attack, terming it as an attack on freedom of expression. He also expressed solidarity with Geo and Jang, a handout said. Buzdar said the incumbent government believes in the freedom of media.

PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, condemning the incident, said it must be probed in a transparent and unbiased manner. “We express our solidarity with Geo News,” she said. PPP MPA Awais Qadir Shah said that it was highly condemnable that an attack was carried out under the pretext of a protest. “This is a highly unfortunate incident which cannot be condemned enough,” he said. Shah said that the People’s Party supports freedom of expression and a fair investigation of the incident. Qaumi Watan Party spokesperson Ahmed Jadoon, condemning the attack, said that elements involved should be brought to justice. PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat and Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi also condemned the violence. MQM convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui it was wholly unacceptable that a media house be attacked in such a manner under the guise of a protest. He said that the absence of police officers at the time of the attack raises a lot of questions.

The Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) issued a statement strongly condemning the violent attack on the Karachi offices of Geo News “by a mob armed with clubs and stones”.

“AEMEND believes in people’s inalienable right to peaceful protest but using violence under the pretext of protest is unacceptable and is a clear violation of law,” read the statement. The association urged the provincial government to “take immediate action” against who vandalised the media office and subjected its staff to violence.

The APNS strongly condemned the attack on the Jang Group premises by demonstrators, who ranscked the offices and manhandled the employees of the group. Hameed Haroon, President, and Sarmad Ali, Secretary General, of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, in a press statement termed the incident attack on the press and expressed their serious concern on the vandalism perpetuated by the demonstrators, who in the garb of protest and sit-in besieged the Jang Group’s main office in Karachi and instead of stressing and raising their demands, attacked and ransacked the office and harassed the staff, including female workers and journalists. They stated that every section of the society has a right to agitate its disagreement against any content, but it should not be allowed to take law into its hand and attack the premises of media organisations and intimidate media workers. This attitude not only depicts the intolerance exacerbating in our society but also highlights growing lawlessness in the country. It is regrettable that the law enforcing agencies in the city remained silent spectators when the media house was being subjected to vandalism.

The APNS office bearers urged upon the chief minister Sindh and the IG police to take immediate action against the culprits and provide security to media houses to prevent such heinious act against the media in future. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists has condemned the attack on Geo and Jang offices demanding of the government to arrest the perpetrators.

In a statement, PFUJ President Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary General Nasir Zaidi slammed the police and Sindh government for the lack of action against the attackers. “It is unfortunate that the police were present there but they did not prevent the attackers. The police turned a blind eye as the mob ransacked the office besides beating up the staff.” They asked the government to throughly probe the attack. This is not an attack of Geo and Jang but on the freedom of expression.

The PPP being the champion of democracy and freedom of expression should take prompt action against the attackers besides ensuring that such incidents do not happen in the future.”Zulfiqar and Zaidi said that the media has already been under siege for some years. “In these testing times, media need support from political parties and various circles of the society. If any party or community has complaint against any content, then there is a mechanism to lodge a complaint and get the matter sorted out but the attackers resorted to fascist tactics to vent their anger.” The PFUJ leaders said that they expressed complete solidarity with the Geo and Jang. “We cannot leave the workers of Jang Group alone in these testing times and would like to make it very clear that the entire journalist community is behind the workers of this media outlet.”

Meanwhile, Sindh Information and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has condemned the incident of hooliganism and vandalism at the offices of the Jang Group and Geo Television in Karachi on Sunday.Talking to media persons outside the Jang and Geo TV offices after the attack on Sunday, the Sindh information minister said that strict action would be taken against whosoever was found involved in the incident.

He clarified that a peaceful protest was the right of every person. He said that one was supposed to do peaceful protest against any offensive or insulting statement. He mentioned that the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had taken cognizance of the incident. He announced that the Sindh government would compensate for the losses caused due to vandalism.

He said lawful action would be taken against the miscreants involved in the incidents in view of the CCTV camera footage of the incident, adding that action would be taken against the attackers as per the demand of Geo TV.

He said the Sindhi nation did carry historical importance as they would not let anyone to insult the Sindhi nation or the land of Sindh. “If anyone carries any such impression, then he should get rid of it,” said the Sindh minister.

He said that an entire institution could not be held responsible for the act of an individual. He mentioned that the Geo TV had instantly apologized for the remarks after they went on-air.

He appealed to the protesters doing protest against the remarks to end their agitation. Meanwhile, Sindh Law and Environment Adviser Barrister Murtaza Wahab, who also acts as the spokesman for the Sindh government, said that the Sindh CM had ordered a probe into the incident of attack on the offices of Jang Group and Geo TV.

While condemning the incident, he said that due action would be taken against the attackers for bringing them to justice.

Barrister Wahab said that the security of the offices of Jang Group and Geo TV and that of other media houses would be improved by the Sindh government. Meanwhile, Sindh Minister Jam Ikramullah Dharejo, Mukesh Kumar Chawla, Shehla Raza, and Special Assistant to Sindh CM Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar also condemned the attack on Jang and Geo TV offices. The provincial cabinet members said that the Sindh government always stood for protecting the freedom of expression and media institutions would be given protection in this regard. Sindh Minister for Education Saeed Ghani also condemned the attack on the Geo and Jang office on Sunday and said the PPP believed in the freedom of expression and press. He added that the Sindh chief minister had assured action against the attackers.

Newspapers: Daily Dawn, The News, Business Recorder, Pakistan Today

Rallies held in different cities including Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Kasur, Multan, Sukkur and Hyderabad were organized by journalists and newspaper workers organisations. Besides a large number of journalists and newspaper workers, Akhbar Farosh leaders, civil society members and traders and lawyers representatives participated in the rallies and vowed to resist the closure of Geo in order to protect the jobs of over 5,000 employees of Jang-Geo Group.

They also demanded a probe by parliament unveiling those behind Geo’s closure. In Islamabad, a big rally marched from the Geo offices to the Parliament House where a sit-in was staged. Members of civil society organisations, lawyers, traders and representatives of various political parties also became part of the sit-in and vowed that they would not allow the marchers to attack the media houses and harass their employees to prevent them from bringing truth to the people.

The participants carried placards reading “Restore Geo”, “Stop Violence against Journalists”, “Live and Let Live”, “Journalists are No Longer Safe”, “We Want Freedom of Press” and “Stop Killing Journalists”. They also shouted slogans in favour of the freedom of the press and vowed that it would be protected at all costs.

It is pertinent to mention here that on Sunday night, the Geo News building was attacked by activists of PTI and PAT when employees of Geo, Jang and The News were working.

During the last one week, the Geo/Jang offices located on the Fazl-e-Haq Road, Islamabad, have been attacked 20 times, and rioters have broken the windows of the building and windscreens of vehicles belonging to employees.

Addressing the protesters, leading journalist Hamid Mir said former dictator Pervez Musharraf had tried hard to curb the freedom of the press but failed miserably in his nefarious designs and the journalists community protected its rights against all odds.

“If Imran Khan has any moral courage, then he should condemn the attacks on the offices of Geo News by his Gullu Butts and also show his commitment towards the freedom of the press,” he said.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) President Afzal Butt said the journalists had the right to seek an apology from Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri for the attack on the Geo News offices and the harassment of journalists, workers and staff members of Geo News, The News and Jang.

He said parliament should probe who was behind the closure of Geo. He said: “An independent commission should be constituted to probe the allegations being leveled against the Jang Group and if these are proved, then we would launch a campaign against this media group. But it is highly unethical that some politicians and other people are continuously leveling allegations against the Jang Group without giving any proof or evidence.”

“I heard that some quarters are asking the Jang Group to provide Rs250 million if it wants restoration of transmission of Geo News across the country. The journalists community would not tolerate these threats and stand with the media group that always protected the interests of Pakistan,” he said.

Senator Mushahidullah Khan said no one could mute the voice of Geo News that is still determined to bring the truth to the people despite the fact that it has been under tremendous pressure from various segments due to its independent editorial policies.

“It is highly unfortunate that Hamid Mir was brutally attacked and he received six bullets but so far no one knows who was behind this criminal act. I salute the journalists who are facing threats but still performing their duties in line with the professional media ethics,” he said.

Senator Zahid Khan of ANP said the transmission of Geo News was already blocked in various cities and now the marchers had been carrying out attacks on its offices, which was a clear indication that some segments of the society cannot tolerate a free media and they want to curb the freedom of the press in Pakistan.

Former MNA Ayatollah Durrani said the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stands for the freedom of the press and fully supports the media persons that are working amid a highly uncongenial environment.

The Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) president Ali Raza Alvi said the marchers need to understand that the freedom of the press cannot be compromised because it has helped a lot for strengthening the judiciary and democracy in the country.

RIUJ General Secretary Bilal Dar said the PTI and PAT workers were trying to force the Geo staff to telecast news according to the wishes of Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri, which was blatantly against the media ethics.

Senior journalist Nasir Zaidi deplored the continuous closure of Geo for the last four months and termed it an act to curb the press freedom. He said the journalists would continure their struggle that is bound to succeed. He also demanded a probe by parliament why cable operators had failed to implement the Pemra and SC orders for restoration of Geo to its original numbers.

Senior journalist Shaheen Qureshi called for the formation of a parliamentary committee to get to the bottom of Geo closure issue. Former president of Rawalpindi Press Club Nawaz Raza expressed solidarity with the workers of Jang/Geo Group.

Our Peshawar Bureau adds: Members of the Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) and the Peshawar Press Club (PPC) staged a protest against the attacks on the office of Geo television in Islamabad and manhandling of journalists by workers of the PTI and PAT.

Led by the presidents of the KhUJ and PPC, Nisar Mahmood and Nasir Hussain, the protesters carrying banners and placards, marched on the road. They urged the leaders of both the PTI and PAT to control their workers, stop attacking the media houses and manhandling of journalists.

In their separate speeches, Nisar Mahmood, Nasir Hussain and the bureau chief of Geo News in Peshawar, Mehmud Jan Babar, condemned the attacks on Geo TV offices and journalists and urged the government to ensure protection to the community, performing professional duties.

They said it was the joint responsibility of the PTI and PAT leaders to stop their workers from interfering with the professional duties of the media and media men.

Expressing concern over the repeated acts of violence against the media, the journalists’ leaders said they could not and would not support such aggressions in future. They warned of extending the protest drive if there was no end to such acts of violence. They also demanded a parliamentary probe into the continuous closure of Geo.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, extended solidarity to the protesting journalists and assured them of every support in their just cause.

The PML-N workers, led by the provincial general secretary Rahmat Salam Khattak and Arbab Khyzer Hayat Khan, flayed the PTI and PAT leadership and workers for attacking the media houses and journalists. They stressed steps for the protection of the journalists.

Our correspondent adds from Lahore: Civil society representatives, journalists, lawyers, religious leaders and people from different walks of life on Monday condemned the recent attacks on Geo/ Jang Group offices in Islamabad and growing injustices against the media house. They described a free media as a matter of life and death for a truly free and independent country.

They warned other channels that in case of forced shutdown of Geo Network, they would also be facing similar situation in future. The protesters also criticised the PTI and PAT chiefs — Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri — for leading the country towards instability.

The protesters had gathered at the Faisal Chowk outside the Punjab Assembly to record their protest over the developing situation vis-à-vis conspiracies against the Geo News and the group’s other channels and their possible closure.

Besides the office bearers of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ), Lahore Press Club (LPC), Electronic Media Reporters Association (Emra) and Electronic Media Cameramen Association (Emca), a large number of journalists from other newspapers and TV channels also joined the protest.

South Asia Free Media Association (Safma) Secretary General Imtiaz Alam said journalists were united to foil any move to forcibly shut down Geo. “The closure of Geo is not acceptable to us as the resignation of the prime minister is not acceptable to the political parties,” he said.

Imtiaz urged the owners of other media houses to get united at this crucial juncture and support Geo, saying the prevailing situation was not going to be in favour of other channels in the future.

Jamiat Ahle Hadith Pakistan chief Hafiz Abdul Ghaffar Ropri demanded of the government to ensure that no injustice was committed against Geo resulting in its forced closure. Observing that the Geo management had already apologised, he said discrimination against the media group was unjustified and uncalled for.

Noted Human Rights activist Hina Jilani said she fully supported the campaign for a free and independent media, adding that the rights activists, civil society and lawyers were ready for an extended war.

Neelam Hussain, another noted rights activist, said they supported the freedom of expression and supported the struggle of Geo and also acknowledged its sacrifices.

Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary Information Farooq Chohan said the media owners should be united just like the democratic forces joining hands to protect democracy and the Constitution. “This is a pre-requisite for a free and independent media,” he said.

Sohail Ahmed of Jamiat Ahle Hadith said they always condemned the attacks on the media as the nation could not be termed free and independent without a free media.

Lahore Press Club (LPC) Secretary General Shahbaz Mian said political parties, lawyers, journalists, students, civil society and religious leaders were united in supporting Geo. He said the economic murder of journalists was underway while those associated with Geo were being attacked physically. “These tactics cannot deter us from our struggle for a free press in Pakistan,” he promised.

Manzoor Gillani of Tehreek-e-Istiqlal said hooliganism against Geo was not witnessed in the past.

PFUJ General Secretary Amir Sohail said journalists had foiled attempts to impose curbs on the media in the past and they would not let such conspiracies succeed. “The economic murder of journalists even at a small organisation is not acceptable to us and this time conspiracies have been hatched against the largest media outlet of the country.”

PPP leader Noreen Sial said she condemned the attack on Geo and its journalists on the behalf of her party heads Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. She strongly criticised Imran Khan for instigating his followers to attack Geo and said, “You (Imran) can never be a politician. You are just a cricketer.”

Religious scholar Allama Kazim Raza Naqvi said they had always expressed solidarity with Geo-Jang Group and condemned the attack on their workers, including Hamid Mir. He said the independence of Geo was in fact the independence of people of the country.

Bashir Ahmad Nizami of Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan said imposing curbs on the media was not acceptable as it exposed malpractices and corruption of those at the helm of affairs.Abid Mir of Shabab-e-Milli said the attack of Geo and its possible forced closure was highly condemnable and added other media organisations should come forward and play their role to save the institution.

A student Maryam Zulfiqar also came hard on the ongoing sit-ins, saying the so-called leaders were trying to make a New Pakistan by making women dance in the open.Ahle Hadith Youth Force Pakistan President Hafiz Zakirul Rehman Siddiqui said Geo played a major role in making Imran a national leader but he was now spewing venom against the TV channel.

Geo News Lahore Bureau chief Khawar Naeem Hashmi, Maqsood Butt and others also spoke on the occasion.

Our correspondent adds from Kasur: Kasur journalists, traders and civil society on Monday took out a protest rally against the attacks on Geo offices in Islamabad.

The rally started from the NBP Chowk. Journalists Ashraf Wahla, Saleemur Rahman, Zakir Hussain, Mehr Javed and others condemned the attacks and urged the relevant authorities to arrest the attackers forthwith.

Our correspondent adds from Multan: The Multan Union of Journalists (MUJ) on Monday staged a demonstration against the attack on Geo, Jang and The News offices in Islamabad.

The protesting journalists were chanting slogans against the incident and in support of freedom of the press. Renowned politician Javed Hashmi also attended the demonstration and assured his full support to journalists.

Hashmi criticised the attacks on Geo offices and its illegal closure and termed it an attack on the freedom of the press. He also criticised the police failure in protecting Geo, Jang and The News offices when the mob pelted the building with stones.

MUJ President Rauf Maan also condemned the attack and said such tactics could never bow down the journalists. Meanwhile, talking to newsmen, Javed Hashmi criticised the Punjab government, saying that it had focused on photo and media coverage by visiting flood-hit areas, instead of providing relief to the flood victims.

PHOOLNAGAR: The Phoolnagar Union of Journalists condemned the attack on Geo offices in Islamabad. Addressing a meeting here on Monday, union Chairman Kashif Shaukat, President Latif, General Secretary Abdur Razzaq and Vice President Zahid Hussain asked the government to protect the journalists community and Geo News.

HYDERABAD: Media persons of Hyderabad on Monday staged a protest under the aegis of the Hyderabad Union of Journalists here in front of the Hyderabad Press Club against the attacks on Geo TV office in Islamabad.

The participants of the demonstration strongly condemned the attacks on media persons and media houses and demanded the arrest of those involved in killing, attacking, torturing and harassing media persons in the country.

Our Sukkur correspondent adds: Journalists, civil society and political workers protested against the continued closure of Geo, attacks on Geo Islamabad office and thrashing of its reporters. Journalists of Sukkur under the aegis of Sukkur Union of Journalists on the call of the PFUJ took out a protest rally in front of Press Club, Sukkur. They condemned the recent multiple attacks on the Geo offices in Islamabad and thrashing of its reporters.

The protesters said they would never accept an attack on the freedom of the press and said blocking of Geo TV in most parts of the country was evidence of partiality.

Meanwhile, in Khairpur, Shikarpur, Ghotki, Larkana, Nausharoferoz, Tando Allahyar and other cities journalists also took out protest rallies which were participated by PPP, PML-N, PML-F workers besides lawyers and NGO workers.

Online adds: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has severely condemned the illegal closure of Geo News, stating that he believes in the freedom of the press.The defence minister said Geo should be allowed to work with the same freedom awarded to other channels in the country.

Asif added that sit-ins were wasting time and impeding the relief work. According to the defence minister, the government had worked on a war footing to tackle the largest flood in the country’s history.

The News

It is the second time that the Geo News TV building has been attacked in a fortnight by demonstrators of the Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). Demonstrators pelted stones at the building, breaking a number of windows and also vandalized vehicles of the media.

Following this week’s attack, the PFUJ held a rally outside the Geo News TV building in Islamabad against the continued harassment of Geo News journalists and staff. Demonstrators who have been protesting against the Pakistani Government since August 14 have repeatedly harassed Geo News staff and other journalists and media workers from other outlets.

On August 30, demonstrators attacked the office of Geo News TV in Islamabad, pelting it with stones. Some stick-wielding protestors reportedly also attacked the satellite van of Geo News as the staff in the building struggled to escape.

The PFUJ said: “The political parties like PTI and PAT are using derogatory language against Geo, which is a direct attack on journalists.”

The PFUJ demanded that the government should take notice of the continuous stone pelting incidents on Geo News TV building in the capital.

The IFJ and the PFUJ have expressed ongoing concerns over the escalation of incidents of violence against journalists in recent days. The IFJ issued letters to Prime Minister Nawaf Sharif, PTI leader Imran Khan and PAT leader Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri condemning the violence against journalists and media.

The IFJ said: “The repeated attacks on Geo News clearly show that the anti-government demonstrators are intolerant to the media’s role in reporting these events and are resorting to unjustifiable undemocratic acts. Importantly, the attacks on Geo represent an attack on Pakistan’s media as a whole.”

The IFJ calls for all journalists, regardless of where they are employed, to condemn these assaults in the strongest way and for the media to stand in solidarity against to defend their right to report.

The IFJ has condemned these attacks on Geo News and called on the government and the leaders of the PTI and PAT to provide sufficient security and respect for the media while the demonstrations continue.

International Federation of Journalists

According to press reports, protesters belonging to Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) vandalised the premises of Geo TV, as well as Daily “The News” and Pakistan’s largest circulated Daily “Jang”. They smashed the windscreens of vehicles of staff parked there, and also damaged the security wall before entering the premises.

According to “The News” since the sit-ins of the PTI and PAT started in Islamabad on August 14, the team of Geo has been attacked many times. The attackers have struck at least 20 times during last one week at the Geo/Jang building and pelted stones, broken windows and damaged vehicles in its parking lot. A female reporter had also been threatened by some participants of the sit-in while another reporter’s mic was snatched during the coverage.

Afzal Butt, President of one faction of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the incident and said if the police failed to provide security, then journalists, themselves, will protect their colleagues. He said the journalists also have the right to seek apology from Imran Khan and Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri for the attack on the Geo News office and the harassment of journalists, workers and staff members of Geo News, The News and Jang.

Ameen Yousuf, General Secretary of the other faction of PFUJ also strongly condemned the incident and said such violent acts should be stopped and adequate security be provided to media.

Pakistan Press Foundation

On Sunday, protesters pelted stones at and damaged the offices of the privately owned Geo TV and struck a Geo News satellite van with batons, the channel reported. Early Monday, protesters armed with sticks stormed the headquarters of the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) and harassed staff, damaged broadcast equipment, and cut cables, leading to a temporary block in transmission, according to news reports. Although the army eventually brought the situation under control, the ability of anti-government protesters to get inside a building the military was apparently guarding prompted some to question the army’s role, the BBC reported.

For nearly two weeks thousands of protesters, led by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan and anti-government cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, have been camped out in Islamabad, after a march to the capital to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over allegations of electoral fraud, a charge he denies. Government officials believe the protests are backed by the country’s powerful military establishment, according to reports. The military, which has been at odds with the Sharif administration on a range of issues since his election last year, has led several coups in the past, one of which removed Sharif from power in 1999. Already, the military has pressured Sharif to relieve control of foreign policy and security issues according to government aides, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Several journalists covering the anti-government protests for outlets including ARY News, Aaj TV, Samaa TV, and Geo have come under attack, as we noted earlier.

Against this backdrop of unrest, last week we documented death threats against freelance columnist and retired army officer Kamran Shafi, who had been critical of the anti-government movement and military. Ansar Abbasi, investigative editor at the privately owned The News International also received a death threat from the same email account, using the name “Khaki Power”, around the same time. The News is part of the Geo/Jang group–which has been labeled anti-establishment and traitorous by many Pakistanis loyal to the military since the attack on Hamid Mir, an anchor and columnist for the group.

The threats in Shafi’s case did not end there. Today, he received another threat from a different email address, albeit the same and seldom-used domain name, telling him: “And make no mistake, you can be bumped off with 1 phone call giving it a ‘go’. Traitor. You dont deserve to breathe air in this country nor walk it’s [sic] soil.”

To read the full threat sent to Shafi click here.

Similar threats have been sent to several other journalists. Omar Quraishi, the editorial pages editor for the privately owned Express Tribune, received the following disturbing message from the same email account that sent the latest threat to Shafi:

From: “SSG” <ssg@safe-mail.net>
Date: 29 Aug 2014 11:20am
Subject: Notice
To: <omarrquraishi@gmail.com>
Cc:

Quraishi – consider this your ONE and ONLY notice. Watch your mouth. If you utter rubbish again, I will personally see to it that you leave this world covered in your own urine.. begging for forgiveness. How does that sound? Shut your mouth or I will gladly shut it for you for ever.

Quraishi told CPJ he believes the threat is in connection with recent tweets, in which he has been critical of the military and of supporters of the campaigns led by Khan and Qadri.

On Sunday, Ahmad Noorani, an investigative journalist at The News, also received a death threat from the same e-mail address.

Threats against journalists in Pakistan are never to be taken lightly. CPJ research shows that at least half of all journalists murdered in the country were threatened before they were killed.

Pakistan’s advanced surveillance capabilities, recently highlighted by Sohail Abid, from local internet rights group Digital Rights Foundation, should be capable of tracing the source of these threats. Commentators including Shafi, have questioned how threats such as the ones made against him can go untraced by the country’s powerful intelligence agencies.

Even before the current political crisis, Pakistan is one of the deadliest places for journalists. On Friday, 28-year-old Ihsan Ali, an assistant to the bureau chief of the Urdu-language Mashriq, a privately owned daily, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Mardan district–a case we are currently investigating. Last week, three employees, including journalist Irshad Mastoi, were shot dead at the Quetta offices of the independent news agency Online International News Network.

Sadly, amid this political crisis, views in the media have become polarized, and rivalries and infighting have reached new levels. Independent and critical voices are suffering at a time when the public needs them more than ever in Pakistan. Until the Pakistani media can achieve some level of solidarity they have little hope of combating the risks of being a journalist, CPJ research shows.

Sumit Galhotra is the research associate for CPJ’s Asia program. He served as CPJ’s inaugural Steiger Fellow and has worked for CNN International, Amnesty International USA, and Human Rights Watch. He has reported from London, India, and Israel and the Occupied Territories, and specializes in human rights and South Asia.

Committee to Protect Journalists

The working staff of Geo, The News and Jang faced the worst kind of fear and panic as PTI and PAT supporters continuously pelted stones at the Jang Building located on Fazl-e-Haq Road.

The windows of the offices in Islamabad were broken as stone were pelted by PTI and PAT supporters.

The Geo building was surrounded by PTI and PAT activists holding the flags of their parties.

The angry supporters of PTI and PAT were raising slogans against Geo and the Jang Group, as party workers were poured onto the scene.

PTI and PAT workers were trying to force the Geo staff to telecast news according to the wishes of Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri, as both the leaders wanted it to flash the news of the killing of a woman protester in teargas shelling. However, the news could not be confirmed from independent sources so Geo refused to telecast it. The mobs threatened the Geo staff that if they did not do so, PTI and PAT workers would storm the Geo office immediately.

Not a single police official was present in front of the Geo, Jang and The News offices to control the situation while the PTI and PAT workers continued pelting stones at the building till the filing of this report.

The News

The News

Prominent lawyer, constitutional expert and former judge of the Sindh High Court Justice (retd) Rasheed A Razvi condemned the act of cable operators of shutting down forcibly the country’s number one and most popular news channel Geo News and other channels of the group.

Razvi, while talking to this correspondent, was of the view that cable operators should not be allowed to decide about the closure, ranking and numbers of any TV channel. “They are just service providers, their role is just like the hawkers of newspapers and how can a hawker refuse to deliver a newspaper of our choice by saying that he does not agree with the policy of the paper?” he argued.

Rasheed Razvi urged the federal government to assert its authority and take action against the cable operators.

According to him, Geo and Jang Group had not crossed any legal or ethical limit. Razvi said the media was the fourth pillar of any state and in Pakistan the media had always remained at the forefront for the restoration of democracy and independence of the judiciary.He added the legal fraternity should also stand with the media as they stood with the lawyers community during the struggle for the independence of the judiciary.

President Sindh High Court Bar Association, Hyderabad, Nisar Ahmed Durrani, also termed the cable operators’ decision to put Geo on the last numbers and impose a self-appointed ban “against the law and principle”.

According to the Pemra rules, he said, cable operators are not allowed to push down or ban any TV channel.Durrani said that freedom of speech was guaranteed in the Constitution of Pakistan and all the institutions of the country, whether they liked it or not, came under the Constitution. “No institution is above the law. If anyone illegally or by force tries to curb press freedom by banning the Jang Group, the legal fraternity of Sindh will stand with the media and the Jang Group.”

Durrani said the legal fraternity could launch a protest move like it did for the restoration of the judiciary in 2007. At that crucial time when illegal and unconstitutional actions were taken, the media remained firm and stood by the lawyers and this time the lawyers will be with the media.

President Karachi Bar Association (KBA) Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed said that freedom of the press was essential in a democratic society and no institution was above the law.He termed the cable operators’ act to push the Geo TV channel to the last numbers or ban it on their own unlawful and said the Jang Group should move a contempt of court application against these operators.

“No cable operator has the right to decide the ranking or closure of any TV channel,” he said. “Pemra should also take action against this illegal act.”Ahmed said that nobody had the right to put the stamp of being a traitor on anyone. “As far as I believe, all staff members of the Jang Group are patriotic.”

Salahuddin also criticised other media institutions for continuing to spew venom against Geo and Jang Group. “They should remember that this will not stop only at the Jang Group, as the undemocratic forces and anti-media forces, which are against the independence of the media and freedom of expression, will also ban their institutions someday. The journalist community should strengthen their own ranks.”

Lawyers of the Larkana Division pledged to launch a protest campaign if Geo TV was banned.President High Court Bar Association Asif Soomro said that journalists had dedicated their lives to a noble cause and many journalists had sacrificed their lives.

He said that Geo and Jang Group are the voice of the whole country and no restriction in this regard will be accepted.He said the attack on Hamid Mir was an attack on the freedom of expression.

The News