They said attacks on TV channels are actually attacks on freedom of the press. They said the incidents on the one hand were defaming the country in the world while on the other hand were exposing the inability of the government over controlling the sabotage activity. They demanded of the government to stop the attacks on television channels and get orders of the court implemented by Pemra.

They also urged the Pemra to respect the orders of the court and not to adopt any discriminatory attitude towards Geo TV and end the intra channel rivalries. Certain elements wanted to achieve their nefarious designs and were bent on damaging the press freedom, they pointed out and added that silence of the government over such disgusting acts was raising many questions.

Meanwhile, Central Secretary Information, JUP-N, Dr Muhammad Yunus Danish, termed the attacks on Geo News as terrorism against the media. He demanded the government to take immediate action. He said there have been continued attempts to curb the freedom of the Press, while the government was posing as a silent observer instead of getting the verdicts of courts imposed.

DAWN

About 150 rioters came in separate groups, gathered around the Geo offices, and pelted the building with stones, breaking the expensive glass panes of the building. Journalists and other staff present in the building were terrorised as the vandalism continued for hours.

The police were not present when the attack occurred, as the cops deployed to protect the property frequently remain absent. This is insulting for the government. The police come and then leave despite the fact that the Jang/Geo Group management had informed the authorities that their office building is on the route to the sit-in venues and participants frequently resort to stone-throwing on the Geo building because of the provocative speeches by the PTI chief Imran Khan.

Prior to his Azadi March and during the sit-in Imran Khan has said several times that their protest was peaceful and not even a plant pot would be broken. Although no plant pot has been broken but the expensive glass panes of the eight-storey building of Geo have been broken with impunity.

The News

Carrying banners and placards, inscribed with slogans in favour of Hamid Mir and Jang/Geo, hundreds of protesters gathered here outside the Jang/Geo offices on Davis Road.

The protesters demanded immediate restoration of Geo transmission saying the channel is the voice of people and they cannot be denied access to newspapers and channels of their choice. They also expressed their serious concerns that those who were responsible for the attack on Hamid were still rooming freely and no one has been arrested so far even after the passage of over one and a half months.

They said it seems as if the incumbent government and the independent judiciary have surrendered themselves before the powerful establishment. The participants also condemned burning of vehicles, deployed to supply newspapers of Jang Group, and copies of Jang and The News in various cities of the country.

Among the participants were: Abdullah Malik, president Civil Society Network Pakistan, senior journalists – Khawar Naeem Hashmi, Wasif Nagi, Maqsood Butt, general secretary of Jang Workers Union Waseem Babar, president of Jang Workers Union Rukhsana Nazli, Baidar Bakhat Butt, Waheed Butt, Khalid Farooqi, Jamaat-e-Islami leader Farooq Chohan, Akbar Jatoi, Gohar Butt, Asim Hussain, Rauf Sheikh, Numan Wahab, Asher Butt, Amer Malik, Rasheed Ali, Farhat Abbas Shah, Mahmood Ahmed, Ameen Hafeez, Ijaz Manzoor, Jawwad Malik, Nadeem Zia, Zahid Ahmed, Fakhira Tehreem, Shahzada Irfan, Zahid Rafique Bhatti, Sheheryar Warraich, Muneer Khokhar, Sharafat Ali, Rana Shahid, Raja Arsalan Khan, Ali Zafar, Awais Qarni, Muhammad Shafique, Arshad Shafique, Tariq Jamal, Mirza Naseer Baig, Azhar Maqbool, Muhammad Babar, Sabir Awan, Talha Anwar Zaidi, Muhammad Hussain, Usman Saleem, Zainulabedin, Naeem Sarfraz, Muhammad Naeem, etc.

Abdullah Malik, congratulating Jang/Geo, said all anti-democratic forces have gathered to derail democracy and democratic system by punishing Jang/Geo, the largest media house of the country. He said Jang and Geo are the voice of millions of Pakistanis within the country and outside the country and they would not allow anyone to ban their favourite channel. He also condemned burning of vans and copies of daily The News and Jang in various cities of the country saying such dictatorial acts could not force the Jang Group to surrender before the powerful establishment as they are on the right side.

Khawar Naeem Hashmi condemned the sorry state of affairs saying the current scenario suggests that the government and the judiciary were not independent adding hidden hands were the only ones who were free and independent in the country.

Khalid Farooqi said the fight of journalist for justice and freedom would continue until the victory adding journalist community had the courage to fight the war for a long time. Farooq Chohan said curbs on Jang/Geo were curbs on the independent judiciary and democracy. He said his party always supported the truth and right and it would continue doing so in future. He expressed his hope that Jang/Geo would win this war of justice and freedom.

The News

The protesting journalists demanded restoration of the Geo transmission at the earliest.They were joined by the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) along with members of civil society, which included the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and Aurat Foundation among others.

On the occasion, a charter of demands was read out which was later submitted to the Pemra officials. It condemned the illegal meetings held by the Pemra officials which announced that the Geo Television offices should be sealed. “Pemra should set its house in order and give the Jang/Geo group a fair hearing,” it was stated in the charter.

Representatives of the Jang/Geo group said that they had apologised for the content of its programme, Utho, Jago Pakistan, which had hurt the sentiments of Muslims. “The programme has been suspended and an inquiry is under way,” it was stated. “However, other television networks, especially ARY television, has repeated the Qawali 63 times. Pemra should take notice of that as well.”

It was stated that the shutdown of the Geo transmission across the country by cable operators was illegal. “The cable operators have termed Geo television a traitor, but the cable operators show foreign films on their individual channels, which are a violation of the copyright law.”

By banning Geo television, it was stated that the public at large would be deprived of its right to information. “The people of Pakistan have chosen Geo television as the provider of information. They vote for it with the remote.”

It has been stated that the 7,000 employees of Geo television are now scared about their livelihoods as journalism is their bread and butter. “By targeting Geo and pushing for its ban, certain forces are depriving its employees of their livelihood.

“We are neither blasphemers nor traitors, we are only doing journalism,” it was stated.Journalists at the rally held placards of ‘long live Geo’, ‘long live press freedom’, ‘Geo or Jeenay do’ and pictures of Hamid Mir. Wearing black armbands, they raised slogans for press freedom and said that they would protest for press freedom till their dying breath.

Shaheen Qureshi, senior journalist, while addressing the rally, said, “The people who have gathered here today are sepoys of press freedom. This is not just an attack on the Jang/Geo group but on all of the media. The forces which are after us will one by one silence all the voices that differ with them.”

He said that the attack on Hamid Mir ‘the icon of Pakistani journalism’ was pre-planned. “We, as journalists, have read history. We know that red lines are drawn by certain groups. Once a red line is crossed, threats follow. That is why many of our editors have had to seek asylum abroad.”

Time and again every sane voice in the country is branded as a traitor. The list includes Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Zulifkar Ali Bhutto, Mufti Mehmood, Najam Sethi and Beena Sarwar. “Whoever loves is not egoistic. Then why are you being egoistic? We love Pakistan but we do not need a certificate from you. We are not professional patriots. We are not getting paid for declaring patriotism to Pakistan.”

He said that a certain anchor had been indulging in unprofessional practices and spreading false propaganda against the Jang/Geo group. “Are you getting paid by the establishment for toeing a certain line of thought?”

Faisal Aziz, Geo TV Karachi Bureau chief, said, “The journalists of Pakistan are brave. A bullet will not silence them.”Addressing the participants, the President Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) G M Jamali demanded the restoration of Geo transmission immediately. He said they would oppose shutting down any channel or newspaper in Pakistan.

Senior PFUJ leader, Khursheed Abbassi, called upon the authorities to get the Geo transmission restored within two days.

The Karachi Press Club (KPC) Secretary General Amir Latif said they were with Geo from the very beginning of the matter. “A ban on any channel or newspaper is an attack on press freedom.”

The resolution said that democracy should be strengthened as the country could not afford any illegal and unconstitutional act.

The resolution said that freedom of expression is an important right and if this right was curbed, all other rights would also be gagged and therefore the freedom of expression should be ensured. The resolution said that no unconstitutional and undemocratic act in the country would be accepted and such acts would be resisted.

Meanwhile, Reporters without Borders is alarmed by the order issued by three members of the Pemra closing three Geo Television channels – Geo News, Geo Tez and Geo Entertainment – and cancelling their licences.

The order was rapidly disowned by Pemra in a press release that said it was issued following a meeting of only five Pemra members that did not comply with Rule 3(4) of PEMRA Rules 2009, under which at least seven of Pemra’s 12 members must attend a meeting for it to be validly convened.

The release added that the decision that Pemra took at an earlier and valid meeting on May 9 to “refer the (Geo Television) case to the Ministry of Law for legal opinion” was therefore still in effect.

“The hasty decision by three Pemra members that was immediately disowned is indicative of a desire by certain government representatives to use any means, including illegal ones, to ban Geo News from broadcasting,” said Benjamin Ismaïl, the head of the Reporters without Borders Asia-Pacific desk.

“We urge Pemra not to yield to pressure from the intelligence agencies and the defence ministry, and to ensure that the law protects freedom of information.” The Jang and Geo groups have been a target of repeated threats, intimidation and prosecution as a result of the coverage of activities of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Balochistan.

Agencies add: Meanwhile, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said it was wrong to snatch and break the cameras and mobile phones of Geo and Jang journalists and to attack the Geo OB vans.

He said it was the fundamental right of a person to stage peaceful protests and demonstrations on minor or major issues and people should hold their peaceful protests within the limits of law, Constitution and moral standards.

In a statement, Altaf Hussain said that the people should not be allowed to break the law under the guise of protests.

The MQM chief said it was a debatable issue whether Geo did things intentionally or unintentionally. However, it was wrong to beat journalists belonging to Geo TV, who are mostly from the poor and middle class.

“We cannot term the protesters’ actions legal and constitutional. Their violent protests not only cause damage to expensive equipment but also injure journalists, drivers, technicians and cameramen associated with the Geo Television,” he said.

He appealed to the people in the name of Pakistan’s security to keep their protest demonstrations peaceful and not to hurt Geo employees and journalists.

Earlier, stating that the freedom of press was essential for strengthening democracy, former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government had given “unprecedented freedom” to the press.

Speaking to media persons here, Gilani said the PPP believed in freedom of the media adding that media should also show a responsible attitude.

“The PPP-led government extended unprecedented freedom to the press which was not given by any government in the past,” Gilani said at the Multan airport. He said the PPP governments had always provided freedom to all in the country without discrimination and had never imposed restrictions on media institutions.

Acknowledging the role of journalists against dictatorial and autocratic regimes in the country, he said their sacrifices for the freedom of expression and social liberties had paved the way for rejuvenated democracy in the country.

“Democracy and media go hand-in-hand and the freedom of the media guarantees sustained and stable democracy,” the former prime minister said.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Human Rights Cell cautioned against the banning of Geo TV and instead called upon the government to strengthen the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to ensure that electronic channels should abide by a code of conduct that should be effectively enforced and regulated.

“Resorting to a ban is censorship and there is no room for censorship in a democracy,” stated Dr Nafisa Shah, Central Coordinator of the PPP Human Rights Cell.

“While the cell endorses that press and media must exercise responsibility and not run vilification campaigns, we will not be a party to curbs on media freedom,” she added.

It is a fact that some electronic channels have run full scale campaigns, sometimes maligning national institutions, and constitutional positions and often jeopardising national interest. This is both the fault of the regulator, Pemra, and the inability of the channel owners to enforce the code of conduct. It is time that the media community agrees to abide by the code of conduct and maintain strict neutrality while covering events, she said.

The last PPP government and its leaders were repeatedly made a victim of media trials but the PPP government demonstrated patience and tolerated criticism. ”We are concerned that the Ministry of Information has failed to address the raging media wars, the lethal infighting between channels, and has become a bystander, which has led to the present impasse,” she said quoting the cell members as saying.

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), district Peshawar, in a meeting passed a resolution that said that no channel in Pakistan should be banned, instead all TV channels must respect the Islamic injunctions.

The News

The blame game is on. Who is a traitor and who is not? What is the national interest? Who remains its sole custodian and arbiter? Which institution transgressed its mandate? What should be the role of our spy agencies? What are the red lines for media houses? What is responsible journalism and what’s not?

The Jang/Geo Group – Pakistan’s biggest media house – is being dubbed a traitor and is being threatened amidst calls for banning its news channel and newspapers for what some can call irresponsible or sensational journalism in the aftermath of the attack on Hamid Mir – nothing less, nothing more.

Pakistan’s defamation laws, regulatory authorities and courts should be able to address this issue. If the laws are ineffective or regulatory authorities are weak and dysfunctional and fail to provide relief to an aggrieved individual or institution, the episode provides an opportunity to develop an effective legal framework – as has been done in all civilised societies where press freedom remains synonymous with responsible journalism.

People there can approach the justice system if they believe that they have been wronged by any media outlet. The application of defamation and libel laws is never selective or aimed to benefit the powerful alone, especially in the advanced democracies from where we have imported the concept of press freedom. Any private citizen manages to get swift justice there, unlike Pakistan where court cases drag on from grandfather to grandson.

If mudslinging and spreading unsubstantiated allegations is bad journalism – which it certainly is – then one Pakistani media group cannot be singled out for this offence. If one has triggered the wrath of Pakistan’s mightiest institution, others have been riding roughshod with lesser mortals, including the targeted vilification campaign directed against the Jang/Geo Group itself.

But bad journalism by others should be no excuse to follow suit. It is time for many of us in the media industry, including journalists, news managers, and owners, to be self-critical. Let’s reassert the basic universal values of journalism, which calls for accuracy, objectivity, balance and fairness in reporting. Yes, we have to be current, we have to be candid and at times controversial, but the most important of all the four ‘Cs’ of journalism remains credibility. As the old cliché of the world of journalists say that you are as good as your last story.

The debate on ethics and values of journalism, especially in the electronic media, has been raging within professionals even before the April 19 attack on Hamid Mir. It is time to do it in a more structured way by involving all the stakeholders, and develop not just a voluntary code of conduct but also recommend improvements in the defamation laws and regulatory framework.

Responsible, factual and objective journalism, which keeps a demarcation between facts, opinions and allegations, remain the best way to protect press freedom. Effective laws against defamation and libel should not be seen as curbing press freedom, but protecting it. In every international media organisation the first lesson drilled in the minds of both reporters and desk-persons is how to avoid the pitfalls of defamation, libel and slander while reporting.

This ongoing blame game, barrage of allegations and counter-allegations and awarding tickets of being patriotic or unpatriotic will not lead us anywhere. It is time to do some serious soul searching and try to resolve the issue with maturity, restraint and sticking to the legal course.

Fanning public emotions with the help of various political and religious parties and wilfully or inadvertently taken unlawful steps against Jang/Geo – or any other group for that matter – is charting a dangerous course. Organised incidents of outright intimidation and harassment to vilification campaign against Jang/Geo and efforts to block the distribution of its newspapers or removing Geo News from the cables or pushing it on the lower slot are unlawful. Non-state actors and various illegal and legal pressure groups can take advantage of this situation to target and intimidate the media or for that matter any voice of dissent.

Pakistan remains one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. It will become even more dangerous if our major stakeholders, including the top civil and military leaders, fail to take the lead in guaranteeing press freedom at every cost. So far the signs from the top are encouraging – from the prime minister to the army chief, all have vowed to protect the press freedom.

It is now necessary to put across this message down to the ranks. When legal means are available, disgruntled individuals should not be allowed to exploit the situation and target any media house – even if ‘right or wrong’,s there are complaints against it.

The most urgent need is that civil and military leaders should take note of the direct threats to journalists affiliated with the Jang/Geo group and all the other media houses and try to ensure maximum security in this age of lawlessness.

Individuals, political parties or organisations have every right to boycott this or that newspaper or news channel. That is a matter of choice and also of readers’ or viewers’ preference. But trying to force this boycott on others in an organised manner to stifle a media group is setting a wrong precedent and should be seen as an effort to muzzle the independent press.

The biggest irony of the Hamid Mir episode is that amidst all these relevant or irrelevant questions and the blame game, the real issue is almost lost – the precarious state of law and order in Pakistan.

This is a country where no one is safe – including journalists, who relatively enjoy a sort of a privileged status in the society. We have seen professionals, including doctors, teachers and lawyers, being systematically targeted in major cities by religious fanatics and extremists. Unsuspecting civilians – men, women and children – have been the victims of suicide bombings and other acts of terror. The unabated bloodletting has consumed senior government officials, politicians, religious scholars, clerics and students. There are scores of policemen who have been martyred in their line of duty.

Our soldiers and defence installations remain on the hit list of Al-Qaeda-inspired local militant groups, especially the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban with which our civilian government is locked in the so-called peace talks. From our senior-most officials of the armed forces down to the foot soldier, all have borne the brunt of terrorism.

The internal challenge of terrorism and extremism is the most crucial, life and death issue for today’s Pakistan. It is so unfortunate that this issue has been placed on the backburner and those institutions which remain the best bet for a democratic, prosperous and peaceful Pakistan appear to be at loggerheads with one another.

This situation benefits only the external and internal enemies of Pakistan. This strengthens only the forces of chaos and anarchy, trying to bring down the state of Pakistan from within. Who else but the military leadership has greater awareness of this grave challenge? It needs to keep this most important issue in the main national narrative – no matter what the distracters of Pakistan’s armed forces try to do in the covert or overt manner by bringing any secondary issues to the forefront. The armed forces and the people of Pakistan must stay on course.

The writer is editor The News, Karachi. Email: amir.zia@thenews.com.pk

The News

Bilawal prayed for an early recovery of the injured journalist and said the PPP believed in the freedom of press and stood by Hamid Mir and the Jang/Geo Group.

Speaking to media persons outside the hospital, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said the police were jointly working with other agencies to probe the attack.

He said some evidences had also been collected during the investigation.

Memon expressed the hope that the elements involved in the attack would soon be arrested.

He further said a case would be registered by Wednesday (today).

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah also visited Hamid Mir and prayed for his early recovery.

Meantime, Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik along with Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo also visited Agha Khan Hospital to enquire after Hamid Mir.

Talking to media persons after visiting Hamid Mir at the AKUH Tuesday morning, Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik said Hamid Mir always raised voice for the people of Balochistan and they were with him at this time of agony and suffering.

Dr Malik especially flew to Karachi from Balochistan to see Hamid Mir.

Like other provincial and federal governments he too offered his government’s help in the treatment of the injured journalist.

“If the Jang Group allows, the Balochistan government will bear all medical expenses of Hamid Mir. Hamid never left the people of Balochistan alone and always raised the issue of missing Baloch people at every forum.”

“He is a brave and courageous journalist who fought relentlessly for the cause and rights of journalists and always portrayed a true picture to the people,” Malik said.

The News