The participants chanted slogans in favour of Geo and the Jang Media Group and condemned the unilateral decision of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) without even hearing the viewpoint of the largest media group of the country.

They demanded lifting of the ban on Geo TV and an end to the attacks on the vehicles carrying copies of the dailies The News and Jang. Arshad Aziz Malik, Mehmood Jan Babar, Barkatullah Marwat, Imdad Ali Qizalbash, Arsalan Khan, Niaz Muhammad, Said Rehman, Ms Sheeba Haider, Shahji and others attended the camp.

The speakers termed as unjust the Pemra decision to suspend Geo TV for 15 days and fine it Rs10 million. They said the Jang Media Group workers and editors were being harassed and intimidated and the copies of The News and Jang were being burnt.

They said the Geo TV was, in fact, already taken off air for 45 days through the use of force and threats. They said the Jang Media Group had suffered huge financial losses but had refused to bow to any undue pressure and threats as it believed in the freedom of the media.

The journalists and newspapers employees at the protest camp pledged to continue the campaign until Geo TV was allowed to operate freely and the newspapers of the Jang Group were allowed to be distributed all over Pakistan.

The News

Journalists and people from other walks of life visited the camp to express solidarity with the Jang Media Group. The participants chanted slogans in favour of Geo and the Jang Group and condemned the unilateral decision of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) without even hearing the viewpoint of the largest media group of the country.

They demanded lifting of the ban on Geo TV and an end to the attacks on the vehicles carrying copies of the dailies The News and Jang. Besides others, Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) President Nisar Mehmood, Shamim Shahid, Arshad Aziz Malik, Bureau Chief of Online News Agency, Imtiaz Hussain, Mehmood Jan Babar attended the camp.

The speakers on the occasion termed as unjust the Pemra decision to suspend Geo TV for 15 days and fine it Rs10 million. They said the Jang Media Group workers and editors were being harassed and intimidated and the copies of The News and Jang were being burnt.

They said that the Geo TV was, in fact, already taken off air for 45 days through the use of force and threats. They said the Jang Media Group had suffered huge financial losses, but it had refused to bow to any undue pressure and threats as it believed in the freedom of the media.

The journalists and newspapers employees at the protest camp pledged to continue the campaign until Geo TV was allowed to operate freely and the newspapers of the Jang Group were allowed to be distributed all over Pakistan.

The News

The participants of the camp urged the government to lift the ban on the favourite channel and curbs on the largest media group of the country. A large number of journalists from print and electronic media, members of the civil society and representatives of the non-government organisations visited the camp set up by the Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) to express solidarity with the Jang Media Group.

The participants of the camp chanted slogans against the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) for blacking out the transmission of the most popular TV channel of the country.

Arshad Aziz Malik, Mahmood Jan Babar, Shamim Shahid, Farmanullah Jan, Tahir Hussain, Azeem Khan, Imdad Ali Qizilbash, Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz leader Arbab Khizer Hayat, Saima Munir of the Aurat Foundation and others turned up at the camp.

Speaking on the occasion, the participants resented closure of the Geo TV. They said that the suspension of the licence of the channel had deprived the viewers of watching their favourite channel.

They asked the journalist community to unite against the curbs on the channel. They said that other television channels would be targetted in future if the ban on the Geo channel was not resisted.

The speakers said that muzzling the press would pose a threat to the democratic system in the country. They said that Jang Media Group was the largest media group in the country and its workers rendered matchless sacrifices for freedom of the press.

They said the group suffered financial losses, but didn’t bow to any pressure and continued to disseminate authentic and correct information to its viewers and readers. The participants threatened to launch a countrywide protest if the ban on the Geo TV was not lifted.

The News

Several journalists from the print and electronic media, political workers, members of the civil society, artistes and trade union representatives visited the camp being arranged by the Khyber Union of Journalists and Peshawar Press Club jointly. The participants flayed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) for taking Geo TV channel off air for 15 days.

Those present at the camp asked the government to lift the curbs on the largest media group of the country. The protesting journalists also asked the government to provide protection to Jang Media Group workers and its installations.

The speakers flayed the attacks on senior anchorperson Hamid Mir and Resident Editor of Jang in Multan, Zafar Aheer. They resented attacks of vehicles carrying thousands of copies of The News and Jang.

President Khyber Union of Journalists Nisar Mehmood, former KhUJ president Arshad Aziz Malik, Farmanullah Jan, Shamim Shahid, Mehmood Jan Babar, Lala Aftab Ahmad, Khalid Kheshgi, Tauseef-ur-Rehman, Tahir Hussain, Arsalan Khan, Gohar Ali, Abdur Rehman, Adeel Saeed, Muhammad Fayyaz Khalil, Muhammad Munir, Shah Faisal, Azeem Khan and others were among the participants.

A nationalist politician, Dr Said Alam Mehsud, visited the camp along with other colleagues to express solidarity with the journalist community. Recording his views, he said the attempts to gag the free media were detestable. He praised the Jang Media Group for searching for and presenting the truth. He said an independent media was a must in a democratic society. A budding artiste Mudasir Zaman also participated in the protest camp by representing singers and artiste community.

The News

The participants chanted slogans in favour of Geo and the Jang Group and condemned the unilateral decision of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) without even hearing the viewpoint of the largest media group of the country. They demanded lifting of the ban on Geo TV and an end to the attacks on the vehicles carrying copies of the dailies The News and Jang.

Besides others, senior journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) President Nisar Mehmood, Peshawar Press Club President Nasir Hussain, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Arbab Khizer Hayat. Property Association president Mazhar Wakil Durrani, former leader of the PTI lawyers wing Hidayatullah Khan, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists vice-president Shamim Shahid, daily Jang Peshawar editor Arshad Aziz Malik and bureau chief of Geo TV in Peshawar Mehmud Jan Baber attended the camp.

The speakers on the occasion termed as unjust the Pemra decision to ban Geo TV for 15 days and impose fine of Rs10 million against it. They said the Jang Group workers and editors were being harassed and intimidated and the copies of The News and Jang were being burnt. They said that the Geo TV was, in fact, already put off air for 45 days through the use of force and threats. They said the Jang Group had suffered huge financial losses, but it had refused to bow to any undue pressure and threats as it believed in the freedom of the media.

They wondered what would happen after 15 days if the Geo TV still couldn’t telecast its programmes independently. The journalists and newspapers employees at the protest camp pledged to continue their campaign until Geo TV was allowed to operate freely and the newspapers of the Jang Group were allowed to be distributed all over Pakistan.

The News

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the Pemra’s decision and termed it politically motivated and against the commitments made to it by the Nawaz government. “We are troubled by the decision by Pakistan’s regulator to suspend the Geo News’ licence,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon.

“The move to shut down one of Pakistan’s largest media outlets is short-sighted and politically motivated and runs counter to the spirit of commitments Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made to the CPJ,” the CJO statement said.

A CPJ delegation met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in April and secured commitments to combat risks to journalists in Pakistan. Other US-based news organisations also expressed their shock and decried the Pemra decision.

Reporters Without Borders condemned Friday’s decision by the Pemra to suspend all broadcasting by the Geo News for 15 days.

The decision was taken in response to a Defence Ministry’s complaint to Pemra, accusing Geo News of waging a “vicious campaign, libelous and scandalous in nature” after its star talk show presenter Hamid Mir was badly injured in a targeted shooting on 19th April.

“Suspending a TV station’s licence is a grave violation of freedom of information especially when it is the country’s leading news channel,” Reporters Without Borders said.

The suspension follows a major smear campaign against Geo News that began after it broadcast claims that the intelligence agencies were behind the attack on Mir. Both the defence ministry and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) responded by accusing the Geo News of being “anti-state.”

On 20th May, several Pemra members ordered the closure of Geo News and two of its sister channels, Geo Tez and Geo Entertainment, and the withdrawal of their licences, but they were immediately overruled by other Pemra members.

Amnesty International said the Pakistan government’s suspension of Geo TV, the country’s largest private broadcaster, was a politically motivated attack on the freedom of expression and the media.

“The suspension of Geo TV is a serious attack on press freedom in Pakistan. It is the latest act in an organised campaign of harassment and intimidation targeting the network on account of its perceived bias against the military,” said Amnesty International’s Asia Director Richard Bennett in a statement on Friday.

“The Pakistani authorities must immediately reverse this ban. If there are concerns about the content of Geo TV broadcasts, the authorities should address this in line with international human rights standards – not simply move to silence a critical voice.

“The suspension of Geo TV sadly fits an all too familiar pattern in Pakistan. State authorities and other political actors use any means they can to silence critical reporting, from the use of anti-state and anti-religion provisions of the law to physical attacks and violence,” said Richard Bennett.

In a report released on 30 April, Amnesty International documented how media workers in Pakistan live under the constant threat of harassment, violence and killings from a range of state and non-state actors.

Several Jang Media Group journalists have told the Amnesty International that they have received daily threats and harassment by unknown individuals by phone and in person.Many said they dare not enter their offices or identify themselves as belonging to Geo TV or other Jang Media Group outlets for fear of being attacked.“Pakistan’s vibrant media scene deserves better protection, and journalists must be able to carry out their legitimate work without fear or interference,” said Richard Bennett.

The News

According to a press release, Payne said during the past few weeks, many incidents of attacks on the media in Pakistan have surfaced. Attack on Geo TV anchor Hamid Mir in Karachi and torture on resident editor, Jang Multan, are aimed to muffle the voices of rivals, which is a cause of concern for the CJA.

Payne said she understands that it was time when journalists and editors would cross the line between reporting and intentional commentary on an issue. She said the hard-won freedom of press in Pakistan needs to be protected. She appealed to Nawaz to make sure protection of the media against torture and pressure.

The News

Zafar Aheer, an editor of the Urdu-language Daily Jang, was returning home from work on Sunday when six armed men on two motorcycles and in a car surrounded his vehicle, news reports said. The assailants beat Aheer, confiscated his mobile phone, and fired around his car before fleeing, the reports said. The editor was bruised on his face and shoulders, according to reports.

Aheer told BBC Urdu that the assailants said those who worked for Jang group were traitors, Jews, and agents for India’s intelligence agency. He said he had received death threats recently in connection with his affiliation with the Jang media group, reports said.

Daily Jang, part of the Jang media group, is headed by Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, who also serves as the top executive at Geo TV. Rahman’s media outlets have come under increased fire since Geo TV broadcast allegations that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence was responsible for the assassination attempt on Hamid Mir, one of its anchors. Geo has also been facing pressure from religious conservatives for airing a daytime show that clerics allege was blasphemous, according to reports.

Police said they are investigating the attack.

“How much longer do Pakistani journalists have to walk in fear that anyone with a political agenda or grudge can have them beaten or killed without consequences?” said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. “The authorities must launch a thorough investigation into the attack on Zafar Aheer and ensure that both the assailants and those who sent them are held to account. Anything less will further endanger already vulnerable journalists, including those who work for Geo TV Network and the Jang Group.”

CPJ signed a joint letter with other press freedom and human rights groups on Thursday that called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to follow through on commitments he made to CPJ in March to address anti-press violence.

Committee to Protect Journalists

The Pakistani authorities should immediately investigate the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the military’s premier spy agency, over its alleged involvement in journalist attacks, said the Amnesty International on the third anniversary of the abduction and killing of journalist Saleem Shahzad.

“Failure to investigate such incidents thoroughly, impartially and transparently and to hold perpetrators accountable fosters a culture of impunity for attacks against independent media in Pakistan,” said David Griffiths, Asia-Pacific Deputy Director at Amnesty International.

In an open letter, Amnesty International and nine other human rights organisations called on the Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to fulfil his promise to end the impunity enjoyed by individuals and groups who attack journalists.

The nine other organisations are: Article 19 (UK), Human Rights Watch, Committee to Protect Journalists, Freedom House, International News Safety Institute, Internews, Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety, Pen International and Reporters Without Borders.

“Saleem Shahzad’s killing was one of the worst manifestations of the threats journalists face across Pakistan every day. The authorities’ inability to investigate officers of the ISI properly and bring to justice those responsible for Shahzad’s death is unacceptable – he was abducted in broad daylight in the heart of Islamabad, the national capital,” said David Griffiths.

“Pakistan must immediately restart the criminal investigation into Shahzad’s death, as has been promised by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on multiple occasions. Events of the past few weeks have again highlighted how precarious the situation for Pakistani media is. Continued impunity will only fuel the violence.”

Last month journalist Hamid Mir narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Karachi. He has accused the ISI of being responsible for the attack.

“According to Amnesty International’s research, the ISI is the state organ most regularly accused by journalists of carrying out harassment, intimidation or abuse against them or their colleagues. This does not necessarily mean that the ISI is always to blame. But if ISI officials are innocent of the accusations they have nothing to fear from thorough investigations and due process,” said David Griffiths.

“We cannot determine who exactly is responsible for these high-profile attacks against journalists until there is proper investigation. All suspects must be presumed innocent until proven guilty and afforded a fair trial in line with international standards.”

To demonstrate their expressed commitment to the rule of law and respect for human rights, Amnesty International calls on the ISI and all other state institutions to cooperate fully with the criminal investigations into the Shahzad, Mir and other attacks.

Saleem Shahzad, an Asia Times Online correspondent, was abducted on 29 May 2011 in Islamabad, and his body was found dumped two days later bearing marks of torture. Shahzad had written articles on a range of sensitive national security issues, including alleged al-Qaeda infiltration of the Pakistani military and the state’s relationship with the Taliban.

Less than a year before his death, Shahzad had told colleagues of an alleged death threat from the ISI. The Pakistani government in 2011 set up a high-level investigation into his death but key evidence mysteriously disappeared and no one has yet been brought to justice.

At least 34 journalists have been killed in relation to their work in Pakistan since the restoration of democracy in 2008, but in only one case during this period have the perpetrators been brought to justice.

In a report released last month, Amnesty International documented how media workers in Pakistan live under the constant threat of harassment, violence and killings from a range of state and non-state actors.

Since the release of the report, a standoff between the country’s largest private broadcaster Geo TV (part of the Jang Media Group) and the authorities has intensified after the network accused the ISI of being behind the assassination attempt on journalist Hamid Mir.

Several Jang Media Group journalists have told Amnesty International that they have received daily threats and harassment by unknown individuals by phone and in person. Many dare not enter their offices or identify themselves as belonging to Geo TV or other Jang Media Group outlets for fear of being attacked.

“There is absolutely no justification for the vicious, organised campaign of harassment against Jang Media Group staff across Pakistan,” said David Griffiths.“It is particularly disappointing that rival media channels and some political parties have joined the chorus to attack Jang Media Group, rather than demand a full and impartial investigation of the circumstances surrounding the attack on Hamid Mir.”

Some government officials have also tried to pull Geo TV off the air over allegedly “anti-state” and “blasphemous” content, and up to 80 percent of Jang Media Group’s distribution in print and on the airwaves has been disrupted by media industry bodies, apparently under the orders of the Pakistani military.

“Attempts to take Geo TV off the air are clearly politically motivated, and constitute a serious attack on freedom of expression in Pakistan,” said David Griffiths.“The last thing Pakistan needs now is a mudslinging campaign against Geo TV, the ISI or anyone else. Pakistan’s long-suffering journalists deserve protection from attacks and justice when they fall victim to abuse. It is the responsibility of Prime Minister Sharif’s government to deliver both. They should start by immediately resuming the investigation into Shahzad’s death.”

Following is the text of the letter:

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ SHARIF

Joint statement of shared concerns about attacks on journalists in Pakistan

29 May 2014

Dear Prime Minister

Three years ago today, journalist Saleem Shahzad was abducted a short distance away from his Islamabad home and later found dead, his body bearing marks consistent with torture. We, the representatives of the undersigned group of civil society organisations working in human rights and media, call on you to fulfil your promise to end the impunity enjoyed by individuals and groups who threaten, attack, abduct, torture and kill journalists in Pakistan. In order to address these attacks on journalists, we urge you to follow through on the commitments you made in March, and as a first phase country for the UN Action Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, and to take further concrete steps along the lines set out below.

Based on our collective experiences monitoring human rights globally, Pakistan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists, judging by the severity and extent of threats and attacks on media professionals due to their reporting. Dozens of journalists have been killed in Pakistan in direct response to their work over the last decade. At least eight journalists have been killed since your government came to power in June 2013.

Journalists and other media workers from across Pakistan face harassment, abduction, torture and attempts on their lives by state intelligence officers, members of political parties and armed groups like the Taliban. Journalists reporting on national security and human rights, and those reporting from the conflict-affected northwest, violence-ravaged Balochistan and the city of Karachi are most at risk as they rarely enjoy protection from the state or support from their employers.

We are deeply concerned at the failure of successive Pakistan governments to carry out prompt, impartial, independent and thorough investigations into abuses against journalists, or to bring those responsible to justice. Attempts on the lives of Hamid Mir and Raza Rumi and the abduction and killing of Saleem Shahzad exemplify the enduring challenge to justice when journalists come under attack: as far as our organisations are aware, no one has been brought to justice for any of these attacks. Only in two cases of journalist killings have the perpetrators ever been convicted in Pakistan.

The failure to bring those responsible for attacks on journalists to justice sends a signal that the media can be silenced through violence and that the perpetrators can literally get away with murder and other abuses. It also has a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Pakistan, with journalists increasingly resorting to self-censorship to avoid the risk of harm.

It is the Pakistan government’s duty under international law to protect the rights to life, liberty and freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of all individuals within its territory and under its jurisdiction, including journalists. As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Pakistan must also ensure the media is free to carry out its critical function of facilitating and promoting freedom of expression, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the ICCPR. Journalists play a vital role in exposing human rights abuse. Ensuring that journalists are able to undertake their work free from harassment and abuse is therefore an essential cornerstone in the protection and promotion of human rights in Pakistan.

We call on your Government to urgently take the following steps, in line with Pakistan’s international legal obligations, so that journalists may carry out their work free from harassment and abuse:

* Re-start the criminal investigations into the abduction and killing of Saleem Shahzad, as promised by the current Pakistan government, and ensure that all potential suspects, including members of any military and intelligence authorities, are subjected to a full, independent and impartial investigation.

* Ensure prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations into human rights abuses against journalists, including abductions, enforced disappearances, torture and other ill-treatment, extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings.

* Ensure that all persons suspected of crimes involving human rights abuses against journalists, regardless of their status, rank or affiliation with state or non-state groups, are brought to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.

* Implement the Prime Minister’s announced plan to establish a public prosecutor at the federal and provincial levels tasked with investigating attacks against journalists, and ensure that it is independent, adequately staffed and resourced, and has authority to investigate the military and intelligence services in addition to civilians. Also implement the Prime Minister’s commitment to expedite the prosecution of the killers of journalists by changing trial venues and expanding witness protection programs.

* Ensure, in line with the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, that media companies adhere to requirements on due diligence, health and safety, among other standards in national law and policy; and introduce systemic legal and policy reforms where such requirements either do not exist in national law or are inadequate.

We welcome your concern about the situation for journalists in Pakistan and look forward to the Pakistan government taking real steps to improve the working environment for journalists in Pakistan.

Yours faithfully

1. Amnesty International – Salil Shetty, Secretary General

2. Article 19 (UK) – Thomas Hughes, Executive Director

3. Committee to Protect Journalists – Joel Simon, Executive Director

4. Freedom House – Karin Karlekar, Project Director, Freedom of the Press

5. Human Rights Watch – Brad Adams, Executive Director, Asia Division

6. International News Safety Institute – Hannah Storm, Executive Director

7. Internews – Jeanne Bourgault, President

8. Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety – Owais Aslam Ali, Head of Secretariat

9. Pen International – Ann Harrison, Programme Director

10. Reporters Without Borders – Christopher Deloire, Secretary-General

The News