The Press Ordinance and Its Repercussions

Emergency killed the Cat -- and Geo buried it.

No way Musharraf after what he did to GEO and ARY can hope to continue even as a presidential chaprasi.

Your TIme is Up, Mr. Musharraf (the Economist)

nasah: His having Geo taken off the air is proof the man has lost his mind. Does it make the Pakistani public assume everything must be fine because PTV says so? More likely, it makes millions mad as hell (including those in uniform whom Musharraf has tried to convert into his personal army and police). And with no TV, gives more time for people to take to the streets for entertainment.

I could be wrong, but seems to me Musharraf has just put another nail in the coffin of his illegal rule.

Maybe Musharraf is going by the saying: "Ignorance is bliss" but unfortunately it backfired on him. With the television media blocked, esp. Geo and ARY, he thought he could try to halt the growing opposition by hiding those constitutionally incorrect moves of his... under the garb of Ptv, the sycophant station for every ruler and his policies.... he is a powerful general, it seems to me he will not be easily overthrown. What can we say - if they people are ruled by a tyrant they deserve it, because they let themselves be suppressed in this way.

It is sad to see that some other Channels chose to come back under the Govt DIKTAT & are now no better than the concousless PTV.

All chanells should have chosen to remain off the air in protest until all were restored. BBC is good enough to get the News.

Divide & diffuse the situation is an old ploy of the military rulers & they always manage to find enough self-centered greedy people to do so.

NHK

Dear writer,

Hatred does not solve any problems, you seem to be harbouring too much resentment towards Mushy. Had it not been for the General's policies, media would still be under the state control. Having said that, once the media was liberated there is no way people will accept reversal. It is their fundamental right to be informed and media has a right and obligation to present facts in a fair and objective manner.

Pakistanis who have lived through the ZA Bhutto-present time period will tell you that these tactics are not only useless but counterproductive for the sitting Government. Musharraf and company are showing signs of desperation, weakness and loss of control. Global dynamics will not allow such a state, either Mushy flinches or is poofed. So, chill and just wait.

Re: # 2
"His having Geo taken off the air is proof the man has lost his mind."(tahmed)

Musharraf has indeed gone bonkers -- listen to what the arrogant bastard told BBC:

"Did I go mad? Or suddenly, my personality changed? Am I Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?"

"Have I done anything constitutionally illegal? Yes, I did it on third November."

"Am I Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?"(Musharraf)

Yes sir -- You are a Jackal and you will not Hide under that illegal Emergency.

.... i am suffering from withdrawal symptoms ...... i want geo back, now! ....... i really don't care if musharaf stays in power or not, all i want is geo ......... i miss sheikh rashid, sher afghan, imran khan, and all those other rascals spitting at each other on tv with hamid mir smiling at them ......

Comeon guys ..

its a right decision to show these world-famous in Pakistani Television Political Show Celebs. whos in-charge!
people like Hamid Mir, Talat, Bolta Pakistan Chaps and rest were blackmailing and brainwashing people with false and iresponsible statements. I mean okay 50% of what they said - might have been true make it 70% but there iresponsible attitude and statements favoring terrorists in NWFP / Sucide Bombers and Anti Government Tone was against national interest.

Good Job Mushy , Keep it Up - !

nasah

Is that what really Mushy said? Ha ha, atleast the dude has some sense of humor - give him that much... Mushy and Sheik Rashid... two of a kind in pakiland... :)

anycase - why are you popping your artery on this... take it easy old dude... what's happening in pakiland was bound to happen... this is their destiny... fatricide, civil war, mindless violence are just the natural results of how these people live, think and operate... Mushy or No Mushy - it doesn't make any difference...

Re: # 10

mohar,

please don't even mention sheikh rashid in the same sentence as mushy ....... sheikh sahib is a true patriot, enjoys total support in his constituency and is extremely entertaining ...... and no, he is not our laloo - he is honest and definitely much better looking .......

sheik rashid zindabad !

[...and no, he is not our laloo..]

of course not - nobody can match laloo - laloo stands completely on his own...

Re: # 9 IB

I agree - paki media has always been in support of terrorists and islamists... we still remember the headlines "freedom fighters kill 7 in marriage party"...

Good riddance... keep it going mushy boy... :)

Re: # 5

Why do you sound so anemic?

You say: "Had it not been for the General's policies, media would still be under the state control..."

Journalistic freedom (whatever we have or have had) is there not because of Mushraff but in spite of him.

Musharraf's junta is only involved in spin doctoring the basic issues (and none of us should tolerate spin on basic issues). This junta is totally divorced from comman man issues.

24 Pakistani jounalists killed;
68 journalists detained;
81 injured.

Re: # 14

These statistics are correct; which make Pakistan the most dangerous country in the world after Iraq for journalists. When military dictatorship "freed" the media a few years ago, they and their mastsrs were under the impression that media would take this freedom and nation would tilt more towards kanjarism and debauchery and in their indulgence they would let the corrupt pro-western elite have their with Pakistan. They thought that all Pakistanis by nature are all as corrupt as they are.

Today those who harp about the good old days of "freedom of press" during the time of dictator conveniently inflict upon themselves the shmaless amnesia that two provinces of Pakistan were largely out of bound for Pakistani journaists for the past seven years. Any journalist who dared to bring out truth was ruthlessly tortured and murdered by these haramis. It is only when the fire that these haramis were playing with impunity all that time reached Islamabad and then there was no place to hide.

I must salute all Pakistani journalists who consider themsleves only accountable to their conscience. And they are fighting the good fight for Pakistan today.

SALUTE!!!!!

I would like to clarify here, that I have nothing against dear old "Mushy". What bothers me as an idealist, is that he is literally choking the morals out of an already downtrodden society. I mean when people come out and say, "thank God, there is no more News to depress us" and "there is no use of siding with the truth" or "Jis ki laathi uss ki bhaens"... these are attitudes that have to change. And again, I'll reiterate, accepting the truth and moving ahead with it is the only way to a better society, But closing your eyes to avoid depression that ensues as a result of the chaos around can and will paralayze our consciences. And this is exactly what's happening right now. No one is the boss of anyone in a free and progressive society, all the roles should be well defined. The media's role is to criticize and so they should, but rulers should accept the criticism responsibly and not act like school bullies and beat up on them (which our Respected General is doing right now), that's their role. Thanks for the response so far...

Urstruly - should be arrested and charged under terrorism act - for defending terrorists and thugs. I wonder why chowk staff does not take action against interactors who openly defend terrorists?

Re: # 14
Where in the world did you imagine this statistics?
ie 24 Pakistani jounalists killed;
68 journalists detained;
81 injured.
It is undeniably true Pakistan is experiencing rough times these days. But it is not a catastrophe. These troubles are only temporary and will pass.

kamth

... by the way, geo is back with some really watered down news broadcasts - sounds like ptv ........ it is a shame .... if this keeps on i am going to go back to cable and save fifty bucks a month

Re: # 18

The following website (Reporter Sans Borders) chronicles the deadly attrocities that Napak fouj and its military agencies have committed against the Pakistani journaists:

http://www.rsf.org/archives-en.php3?id_rubrique=51&annee=2004 &tri=

The names of journalist killed in

2005

Journalists who were killed during in 2005 in Pakistan:

Allah Noor,

Amir Nawab,

Muhammad Iqbal and

Ubaidullah Azhar,

2004:

Sajid Tanouli


and list just goes on and on.

Re: # 20

urstruly,

what about hayatullah khan dawar abd daniel pearl who were beheaded by your people ?

Re: # 20

urstruly,

what about hayatullah khan dawar abd daniel pearl who were beheaded by your people ?

urstruly,

please do a google search on 'journalists killed by taliban' - you will find some gruesome tales that will give you a lot of pleasure ...... the taliban and their ilk make their killings a lot more dramatic in keeping with the tradition of khandaq ....

Re: # 21

ah pahleez, Hayatullah Khan fell martyr in 2006 after being tortured by military agencies. His body was found in a ditch and his family, especially his brother was bluntly threatened by napak fouj if they did not keep their mouths shut. His crime was that he exposed the truth behind the masacre of school children in Waziristan. He provided undenieable video proof that those school children fell martyr in an air strike by Americans, while Napak fouj was vehmently pushing the lie that it was them who had killed their own pakistani citizens in an air strike. How low can these madarchods go.

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NaPak Fouj and its Criminal Terrorist agencies hit new Low today.

The criminals of NaPak fouj made good on their threats today. Today the hired goons of NaPak fouj blew up martyred journalist Hayatullah's house. His wife fell martyr to this attrocity. His five children miraculously survived. Hayatullahs brother accused the "same people" of committing this crime "who had murdered my brother". It is an open secret who he blames for the murder of his brother.

NaPak Fouj and its Criminal Terrorist agencies hit new Low today.

The criminals of NaPak fouj made good on their threats today. Today the hired goons of NaPak fouj blew up martyred journalist Hayatullah's house. His wife fell martyr to this attrocity. His five children miraculously survived. Hayatullahs brother accused the "same people" of committing this crime "who had murdered my brother". It is an open secret who he blames for the murder of his brother.

http://www.express.com.pk/images/NP_LHE/20071118/Sub_Images/11003010 25-1.gif

urstruly,

......... these are the people we are fighting :

KABUL, Afghanistan: An Afghan journalist was shot dead by unknown gunmen in her home north of Kabul on Tuesday night as she slept beside her 10-month-old baby, Afghan officials said Wednesday.

The journalist, Zakia Zaki, 38, was the director of a private local radio station in Jabal-us-Siraj, an hour's drive north of the capital, Kabul. She was shot seven times, said Abdul Jabar Taqwa, the governor of Parwan Province. The baby survived.

Zaki, the mother of six children, had been receiving threats for the last few months demanding that she take the station off the air, Taqwa said. The nature of the threats was unclear, but she had been involved in women's rights advocacy and political activity.

Zaki was killed just six days after a reporter and anchorwoman on a private television station in Kabul was shot and killed in her house.

urstruly,

.... one more thing - killing barbers and video store owners is just as bad as killing journalists ....... don't you think?

Re: # 24

according to the army, hayatullah was killed by the miscreants ....... but if what you say is true and he was siding with the miscreants against the army, then he was a traitor and guilty of treason ......

Re: # 30

yes, exposing truth by a journalist is tentamount to being "siding with miscreants" in the minds of left-overs of East India Company. Guilty as charged. He was asking for being tortured to death. Job well done. Keep up the good work.

Re: # 14

Blithe,

Take a jog around memory lane and try to remember how "free" was the media under najaiz sharif and bezamir. Kidnapping (Najam Sethi) and brown lifafa culture was rampant. Addressing your point of contention, there were no Geo's or Ary's to offer alternative viewpoints. That does not negate journalists struggle to maintain their freedom of expression, simply highlights a important change in Pakistan's information history.

I will remind all the interactors that Jang group has built the empire by licking the boots of Army all along. Now it wants to bite the same hand because it is now getting paid in Dollars.
Judging by history if Jang group feels that General is getting stronger it will not stand for any principles and will toe the establishment agenda as has been norm.

this urstruly is a insult to islam and pakistan. he should be banned ...!!!!

chowk staff , pls take action - this man has gone wackos!

By banning Geo News, Musharraf has lost my mother's

support. And Fox News just ain't cutting it!

My 9 year old after hearing the news finally asked

"Abba, is Musharraf doing a good job?"

And finally at a large gathering last night someone

commented:

"What will it take for Musharraf to get the message?"

(Just thought that I would share these personal observations)


PS: Imran Khan's son holding his Dad's photograph in London

scribbled with "Release My Abba" (or something close to it)

was quite moving. Jemima is also making quite an impact.


General Sahib (seriously), I think that it is time to

listen....

It would not be difficult at all for the Pakistani media to launch a webcast news service and continue to beam news into Pakistani peoples' homes through the internet. They could even upload news clips onto Youtube on a regular basis from Europe or the US. The battle is not lost yet. Please keep the fight going - truth will always triumph in the end. The voice of the media must not be silenced.

The reason why East India Company ki Naajaiz Aulaad has to be decimated:

http://www.express.com.pk/images/NP_LHE/20071119/Sub_Images/110030 1663-2.gif

Re. #35

Thank you for your observations.

You will be pissed to know that Musharraf is giving an exclusive tonight to Fox (the most "enlightened moderate channel in the world"). This S.O.B. is out to **** Pakistan. He is the worst ambassdaor imaginable. The S.O.B. is probably goign to talk about a new edition to his "In the Line of Fire".

So the S.O.B. closes Geo and starts talking to Fox... What did we do to deserve this S.O.B.

Musharraf has brought down Pakistan to such degrading chaotic level that his neocon benefactors are talking of occupying the country:

"Frederick Kagan of the right-wing American Enterprise Institute and Michael O’Hanlon of the more liberal Brookings Institution argue in an article published in the New York Times on Sunday that the US simply cannot stand by as a nuclear-armed Pakistan descended into the abyss."

Shame on the bugger.

Meanderings of Me Me Musharraf:

“Have you thought of (resigning)?” asks Sky News.

The answer: “But should it be given up now and we will have better Pakistan, a stabler Pakistan and we could have very good elections, without me?

Very good, may be I take that decision, (in 5 years?) OK?”

Ayaz Amir quoting Musharraf verbatim)

Repost from another board, to which I would like to add "F Geo and every other CIA media concern around the globe"

----now enjoy-------

The good coming from all of this other than the many movements that will be a thorn in the side of the ruling junta in Pakistan for a long time to come, not to mention the diminished authority and reputation of the military in the minds of the people atleast, is the shutting down of the CIA media concern, GEO TV. Good riddance to the voice of America propaganda spewed day and night on this channel that tried to act as catalyst in fermenting the crisis manufactured by the Pak Army/US elite. Deep down it is a Pakistan Army/CIA channel through and through....good riddance I say, but unfortunately it is going to come up again....

Re: # 41

This is called slant and slander. No proof, no evidence yet the party in question is subjected to abuse and ridicule and demonized by association. Therefore, either u provide proof or shutup.

Proof is in the product they put out, whose line they follow, find my previous post on GEO for specifics, and the fact that they broadcast the CIA concern, the VOICE OF AMERICA's urdu broadcast direct, a CIA whose budget and funds finance many media concerns throughout the world, which is no secret, and why the Americans are now going after Dubai for shutting it down....not to mention that these two channels are the ones chosen for entertainment by the US embassy in Islamabad. Like the dozens of channels and newspapers appearing in Iraq after Saddam including the CIA's Radio Free Iraq, GEO fulfils the same function for causing great harm to this society, manufacturing news where none exists. This was one of the positives of the entire Musharraf shenanigans to save his uniform: I hope this propaganda network stays off the air, we don't need CIA meddling in our affaris...

Re: # 43

None of this proves they are paid lackeys, it simply highlights the populist anti-american sentiment.

GEO like any other network are in this business for "profit", there is nothing charitable about this business. If they are receiving advertising fee from an x party that does not mean they are the official mouthpiece.

Iam not sure what u mean by "harming the society", whether its political or social impact. Either way, Geo is just another source of information that can be changed by the use of remote control.

Understanding media is not as simple as "advertising" runs it, go read some books on it to understand the place of media in modern society as cultural apparatus in the hands of the elite, and the US never misses an opportunity to prop up media around the globe and support it with dollars more than any advertiser could dish out, as well as its talking points, just like GEO's trend, the analysis of its content reveals...

Re: # 45

Again, sheer speculation with plenty of innuendo's but no evidence. Instead of empty rhetoric why not talk the walk, give some proof such as the contents that irritates your bowels.