He said some media houses were involved in mud-slinging against one another, which was not good in any way. He said the malicious statements against the Jang/Geo Group had nothing to do with reality, adding that some private TV channels aired rumours about this group. He said he condemned these rumours. He also lauded the services of daily Jang Resident Editor, Multan, Zafar Aheer.

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The organization also noted serious concerns about the fairness of the trial.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) sentenced in absentia Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, owner of Geo TV and its parent Jang Media Group, actress Veena Malik, her husband Asad Bashir and TV host Shaista Wahidi, to 26 years in prison each for airing a “contemptuous” programme.

Geo TV has a tense relationship with Pakistani authorities and was earlier this year temporarily taken off air following the blasphemy allegation.

“This sentence will have a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Pakistan. It is appalling that someone should be sent to prison for decades over a TV programme,” said David Griffiths, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia Pacific Director.

“This judgment shows how Pakistan’s deeply flawed blasphemy laws have become another tool to silence media.

“There are also serious concerns about the fairness of this trial as the defendants were sentenced in absentia and never had the opportunity to answer the charges in court.”

The ATC also fined the four convicts 1.3 million Pakistani rupees (USD 12,800) each.

The blasphemy charges relate to a programme aired by Geo TV in May this year, when Malik and Bashir re-enacted their wedding ceremony with a Qawaali, devotional music sung to dictate the life and teachings of Prophets, which concerned the marriage of Fatima Zahra, daughter of Prophet Muhammad, with his cousin, Ali.

Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is based outside Pakistan, while Malik and Bashir have fled the country after receiving death threats when the blasphemy allegations were first levelled against them. Malik told Amnesty International that she fears for her life if she returns to Pakistan.

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws violate international human rights law and standards. Amnesty International urges the government to reform the laws as a matter of urgency to provide effective safeguards against their abuse, with a view to their eventual repeal.

“Although the blasphemy laws are disproportionately used against religious minorities, today’s sentencing underlines the fact that no one in Pakistan is safe from being targeted,” said David Griffiths.

“The death threats against Veena Malik and Asad Bashir show how even an accusation of blasphemy could lead to the threat of violence. Authorities should do more to protect those at risk of violence – not fuel the fire by using blasphemy laws to settle political scores.”

Geo TV has been locked in a standoff with Pakistani authorities since its main anchor, Hamid Mir, in April this year accused the spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of being behind an assassination attempt on him.

On 6 June this year, the governmental body Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) suspended Geo TV’s license for 15 days over the blasphemy allegation. PEMRA imposed a similar ban on another private TV station, ARY TV, on 20 October for “maligning” the country’s judiciary.

“The Pakistani authorities must end their attempts to harass critical voices in the media into silence.

“Instead of trying to control media outlets and journalists, the Pakistani authorities should do more to protect them so they can carry out their work freely and without intimidation and harassment,” said David Griffiths.

Amnesty International

Your Excellency:

We are writing to express our deep concern about the deteriorating climate for press freedom in Pakistan, which undermines recent commitments made by your government during CPJ’s mission to the country.

In our meeting with you on March 19, you told us you recognized the scope of the crisis that journalists face in Pakistan and the damage that the country’s record of impunity in journalist murders has done to its international reputation. We were encouraged by the exchange and follow-up we had with you and other Pakistani officials.

We urge you to follow your pledges to address media freedoms with meaningful action. A joint government-media commission to review anti-press attacks and improve security, such as the one you pledged to create, would be a great step toward improving the climate for press freedom in Pakistan.

Since our meetings, conditions for journalists working in Pakistan have drastically deteriorated. Only days after we met, unidentified gunmen fired on the car of Raza Rumi, a senior Pakistani journalist, as he was leaving the studio following his TV show. Rumi was not injured, but his driver was killed.

In April, gunmen shot Geo News senior anchor Hamid Mir as he and his driver left Karachi’s main airport. Mir survived the attack but sustained wounds to his abdomen and pelvis. His driver survived. The next month, two foreign journalists were expelled from the country after being told their visas would not be renewed. The Hindu correspondent Meena Menon and Snehesh Alex Philip, correspondent for the Press Trust of India, left Pakistan within seven days.

On May 20, some members of Pakistan’s Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) announced that licenses for Geo News, Geo Entertainment, and Geo Tez, channels under the Geo TV Network, had been suspended. Later that day, PEMRA issued a press release saying the order had “no legal standing” since the meeting had been attended by only five of its 12 members.

On June 3, Zafar Aheer, an editor of the Urdu-language Daily Jang, was beaten by six armed men as he was returning home from work. The assailants confiscated his phone and fired shots around his car before fleeing. Aheer told BBC Urdu that the assailants accused employees of the Jang group of being traitors, Jews, and Indian agents. He also said he had received death threats in connection with his affiliation with the media group.

Daily Jang, part of the Jang media group, is headed by Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, who is also the top executive at Geo TV. Rahman’s outlets have come under increased pressure since Geo TV broadcast allegations that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence was responsible for the April attack on Mir. Critics said the coverage was irresponsible.

Staffers at the The News–including Umar Cheema, who wrote critically about the attack on Mir–have received threats. Vans carrying Jang’s newspapers have been torched in Lahore, Lodhran, and Rawalpindi.

On June 6, Geo News was fined and given a 15-day suspension by PEMRA. The channel went from providing news to millions of people to a blank screen. PEMRA allowed the channel to begin rebroadcasting after 15 days, but news reports said cable operators were continuing to block the channel.

On June 20, PEMRA suspended Geo Entertainment’s license for 30 days and ARY News’ license for 15 days and imposed on each outlet fines of 10 million rupees. News reports said Geo was banned for “insulting the religious sentiments of viewers” in one of its morning shows, and ARY was banned for “bringing high courts into disrepute” in connection with a critical program.

This sets a very dangerous precedent and opens the door for future attempts to shut down news channels that are critical of the state and its agencies. More than 7,500 people are employed under Geo, and their livelihoods and safety are directly affected by the threats to Geo.

We call on your government to reinstate Geo’s ability to operate and broadcast in the country. Your government should ensure journalists at all news outlets are able to work safely and freely in Pakistan.

The commitments you made provide a clear path forward for media freedom in Pakistan. The recent challenges should not derail your efforts to ensure that journalists are able to do their job without fear.

We left Pakistan with a deep sense of optimism following our mission, and remain hopeful that your government is sincerely committed to ensuring greater press freedoms in the country.

Sincerely,
Joel Simon
Executive Director
Kati Marton
CPJ Board member
Ahmed Rashid
CPJ Board member

CC List:
Dr. Nazir Saeed, Secretary, Ministry of Information Broadcasting & National Heritage
Mohammad Azam, Additional Secretary Ministry of Information Broadcasting & National Heritage
S.M. Imran Gardezi, Director General External Publicity Wing
Humera Azam Khan, Director General Human Rights, Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights
Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Washington

Committee to Protect Journalists

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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