On the other hand, Sargodha’s sessions’ court reserved verdict until June 7 on a petition filed against 20 TV channels, the information and broadcasting minister, Pemra officials and cable operators.

Moreover, petitions have been filed with the Gujranwala district and sessions judge and Sialkot DPO to register cases against ARY Chief Executive Salman Iqbal, Mubashar Lucman, Haji Jan Muhammad, ARY director Muhammad Iqbal, director Muhammad Mehboob, director Anwar Maqsood, Dunya TV Chief Executive Mian Amir Mehmood, Samaa TV CEO Naveed Siddiqui, Express News CEO Sultan Ali Lakhani, Amjad Sabri, Zaki Zaman and others.

District and Sessions judge Syed Tauqir Bokhari will hear the petition today (Thursday). A petition against the TV channels was filed by a citizen Prof Shahid Mehmood in Sialkot. In a village of Sargodha, Fatima Jinnah Colony; a resident Muhammad Ilyas Qadri filed a petition against the information minister, Pemra officials, cable operators, ARY, Express, Dunya News, Samaa TV, Aab Taak TV and Geo TV owners and others in the sessions’ court.

In Mianwali, on a petition filed by local trader Falak Sher Awami, a case was registered against ARY CEO Salman Iqbal, anchorperson Mubashar Lucman, anchor Nida Yasir, Amjad Farid Sabri qawwal, Samaa TV CEO, Dr Shaista Lodhi, Veena Malik, Asad Bashir Khattak and other responsible persons of Geo on the orders of district and sessions judge Sohail Ikram.

On court orders, a case was registered against Geo in Jaranwala while orders were issued for registering a case in Burewala. In Sahiwal, a court disposed of a petition against Geo, directing the police to register a case if the applicant is aggrieved otherwise if allegations are not proven then legal action should be taken against the applicant.

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The struggle for the freedom of press through the annals of country’s history was the beacon light for the emancipation of the people, which was indeed synonymous to the struggle for the restoration of democratic rights of the people wrested by the successive usurpers. Journalists were subjected to torture and dehumanization but they never abandoned the worthwhile cause and stood up in the face of brute authority demanding the revoking of the “Black Laws”, Press and Publication Ordinance 1962, promulgated by General Ayub Khan.

The ordinance imposed wide range of restrictions on media giving extraordinary powers to administration to proceed against the press on one or another frivolous pretext. The press was totally suffocated, but its will to fight back gave it the requisite strength to continue the struggle. The inevitability of the relentless struggle of the civil society dedicated for freedom of press at last saw the light of the day and the country attained the status of a free media country. The media attained freedom as result of it arduous struggle spread over six decades.

The attaining of media freedom was important but its preservation is even more important for which the civil society in general and the journalist community in particular have to be very vigilant to deny the opportunity to those who are after it with vengeance. Their retribution stems from their being above the law of the land, and are notorious for basking the fruits of impunity. Their aversion to accountability and transparency is embedded in their avarice that begged all descriptions. They are not prepared to jettison their old habits that refuse to die.

Again, media is under threat and the dividends of the struggle are in acute danger for being declared as redundant arbitrarily unless the stakeholders get united and stop the Bonaparte to take plunge to his advantage. The overpowering of the unknown will accrue total loss for the entire society, and the gains made during the stint of democratic era will unfortunately go down the drain. The resultant degeneration of the social order will break the back of the camel. Might will become right and when might becomes the rule than exception the state of anarchy is bound to emerge where life for all” will be nasty, poor, brutish and short” according to John Hobbes, a political scientist who is the architect of the famous Social Contract Theory. The society will become a hunting ground of crooks and opportunists who are fond of running with hare and hunting with hounds.

In Pakistan, media has its own baggage which is difficult to carry even if the benefit of the evolutionary process is given. Unfortunately, unbridled freedom of expression was considered here as an end itself by media and did not ponder for a moment to define the parameters of professionalism even on voluntarily basis. Whenever such suggestions came from the sane quarters in the past these were resented and rejected with contempt. It is well known and established principle that when prosecution and judicial authority are amalgamated in one institution or individual the administration of justice will end up in miscarriage of justice.

The media continued to bask the salience with impunity notwithstanding the imperatives of the Article 19 of the Constitution that stipulated the exercise of freedom of expression subject to defined limitations.

ad the media formulated a code of ethics in the light of the Article 19 of the Constitution, the present tiff might have not arisen? The worst part of it is the aftermaths, igniting the tug of war among the media houses and the journalists alike based on the parochial narrative ‘his losses are my gains’. Getting to each other hair to wade off in the troubled waters for fishing is synonymous to short-term gains for long-term pains. Make no mistake. They are cutting the grounds underneath from each other feet thus paving the way for their collective depredation. The freedom of speech and expression will be the first victim of this frenzy—striving for ascendance by pushing the competitors downward propelled by the instinct ‘ends justify the means’. Undoubtedly, mutual survival is better served by peaceful co-existence.

The jumping of a few politicians in the arena is equally worrisome because their tacit or open support is bound to strike the root of the cause and also democracy as the nascent edifice cannot afford the shocks and after shocks attached to potential brinkmanship. Instead, they should strive in facilitating the amicable resolution as they are also the major stakeholders. The negative fall-out of this controversy is not at all to the benefit of the well-wishers of democracy and the media. The glee of the politicians known for using the crutches is indeed suggestive, and the truly popular politicians should decipher it dispassionately and avoid the taking this war too far for obvious reasons. Popular political parties should reach out to the representatives organizations of the media, All Pakistan News Papers Society, Council of Newspapers Editors and All Pakistan Broadcasting Association for defusing the infighting sooner than later. Procrastination is likely to cause prodigious damage and the belated compunction will tantamount to crying over the spilled milk.

The nation and all Pakistanis are acutely worried about and their anxiety is not misplaced. The country’s present state of affairs is at the brink. It is fighting for its survival in the face of existential threat. The society, media and the politicians should put their acts together to ward off the dangers lurking. Their tardiness will be unforgiving and so the consequences for all and sundry.

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Speaking to the media after chairing a meeting of the PTI Core Committee here, Imran mentioned Geo/Jang Group Chief Executive Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s name many times and demanded an audit of his assets through an independent commission.

When asked if he would approach the court with regard to the allegations he had levelled against the Jang Group, he declined to do so. He called on the nation to boycott Geo TV for airing highly objectionable content in one of its shows.

He also asked the Geo management to apologise to the nation for this.

Imran repeated the allegations that the Geo/Jang Group had received foreign funds for agenda-setting.

He again alleged that there was a nexus between the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Geo.

Imran justified launching a campaign against rigging after exhausting all other options, including approaching the Supreme Court, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), parliament and the election tribunals. He reiterated his demand for verification of thumbprints of voters in four constituencies.

The PTI chief criticised Pemra for overlooking violations of its rules.

Imran yet again charged that Geo had indulged in a media trial of the ISI chief on a baseless theory. He alleged the someone who had managed ‘35 punctures’ during the general elections was made PCB chief as a reward by the government.

He went on to allege that the Geo/Jang Group chief executive resorted to a cheap campaign against his person and other members of his family. He charged that the Jang Group chief executive safeguarded his interests by using the platform of the Jang Group and harassed those who spoke against him.

The PTI chairman alleged that the Jang Group owner controlled Pemra through the ruling PML-N and was behind the bowing out of the authority’s chairman recently.

He contended no nation could allow a media group to receive foreign funds and alleged that the Geo/Jang chief executive had become a kingmaker.

However, he said that he never called for the shutting down of Geo TV but he called on the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory (Pemra) to take action with regard to what the channel had been broadcasting.

Online adds: Terming the Jang Group owner a ‘Pharaoh’, Imran Khan challenged him to an open debate.

The PTI chief said Geo has become the B-team of the Nawaz government and the Geo/Jang chief executive was controlling the government through his powerful media house.

He alleged that the Jang Group owner made efforts to remove the Pemra chairman because he had told the Senate’s body about Geo’s financial irregularities.

He said the Jang Group owner is the biggest blackmailer who is working to set an anti-national agenda in the country.

“Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is an anti-state figure, who has maligned the ISI chief on the dictates of anti-Pakistan forces,” he said. “Rahman has become a pharaoh, who thinks that he can seat and unseat governments.”

He alleged that the Geo/Jang group was a tax and Pemra defaulter.

Geo and PML-N’s interests are interlinked, Najam Sethi was made the PCB chief to have the rights of cricket series. The nexus of the PML-N and Geo was further exposed after the Pemra chief was fired by the government on Geo/ Jang Group’s desire.

Under the rules, Pemra can allow a licence of only four channels, but Jang/Geo was seeking a fifth licence, he stated.

“If our regulatory body would have been functional, I would not have addressed this press conference,” he added.

INP adds: Addressing a press conference at his Bani Gala residence, Imran Khan also demanded of the Geo group to apologise to him for launching a propaganda campaign against him (Imran).

Imran Khan also quoted a report of the UK’s House of Lords report which according to him said that Geo received one billion rupees from Britain while the US State Department gave it millions of dollars to run its editorial policy according to their directions. He said in return, the Geo Group assured to promote the US and UK agenda. He said ‘Aman ki Asha’ was run through US funds. He said while his party is in favour of a peaceful eastern border but pointed out that this media group named him ‘Taliban Khan’ for talking of peace on the western borders.

The PTI chief said no country can allow a private TV channel to run the agenda of foreign countries and try to influence the country’s policies.

He also alleged that the group is a defaulter of Pemra, the National Bank and other state institutions. According to Imran Khan, the Pakistan Independent Media owes Rs3.75 billion to state institutions.

NNI adds: Imran alleged that Geo TV has no editorial policy, adding that campaigns are run without any checks. He said that the Geo/Jang chief executive is maligning the country for his personal gains.

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Talking to the media after the 21st passing-out parade here at the Pakistan Railways Academy, Walton, on Tuesday, he said the one who abrogates the Constitution and those who take oath under the PCO are traitors of Pakistan, not the media.

He said the media too need to mend its ways and media owners and journalists also need to self-regulate themselves and define their parameters.He said there was no restriction on criticising those generals who violated the Constitution and those judges who yielded to them by taking oath under the PCO.

He said that senior journalists should sit together and formulate a code of ethics for good journalism. He said that security agencies were performing their duties with full responsibility and whenever needed helped the railways.

The minister said that there could be ups and down in the talks process with the Taliban, but the government wanted to have positive results.Dispelling the impression of tension between different institutions of the country, he said every institution was functioning within its limits, adding that there must not be any criticism on the professional conduct of the army and the judiciary.

Earlier, addressing the function, the minister said the Railways Police had demonstrated exemplary courage in protecting passengers and trains, which is laudable. He said the Railways Police officials should not involve themselves in illegal activities as this was fraud with their profession.

He said Imran Khan needed another 20 years to become a mature politician to be able to compete even at the lowest level. He said Imran Khan had not been able to deal with the truth that the people of Pakistan shattered his dream of becoming the prime minister, and there was no conspiracy.

The call for the May 11 protest by Imran Khan is yet another proof of his immaturity and he can go ahead with his plans to fulfil his desires, he added. The minister said political pressure, nepotism and bribes are a story of the past in the Pakistan Railways and the national department was now recruiting employees strictly on merit, adding that the salary of Railways Police would be increased stage-wise after the budget.

The minister said Pakistan was in critical condition when they took the oath. He promised that the railways would overcome its deficit and there would be peace in the country. He said the PM had approved the recruitment to the railways. The IGP has been requested to upgrade the training school, DSPs to the rank of SP and the establishment of an IT lab.

IGP Syed Ibne Hussain presented the welcome address. Some 105 Jawans and 13 women constables participated in the course. In the ceremony, GM Operations Anjum Pervaiz, AGM Muhammad Khalid, DG Railways Academy, Walton, Javed Iqbal, DIG Railways Munir Ahmad Chishti, Ahmad Nasim, ex IGP Punjab, Shariq Jamal Khan, SSP Lahore, and other senior officers were present.

A report was presented to the minister about the performance of the Railways Police in anti terrorist activities. It said that seven Jawans were martyred curbing terrorist activities. The Railways Police foiled an attempt of terrorists at the Kolpur-Dozan Railway Station. Also, an attack on the Akbar Bugti Express was thwarted by the Railways Police.

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