Dawn (http: //www.dawn.com)
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Lahore --- The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has taken up the issue of the ban imposed on the relay of four channels of ARY TV network in Punjab with the federal government, terming the decision of the provincial government illegal.
"Under the authority's law no provincial government is authorised to stop a channel from broadcasting. If a provincial government has any complaints or reservations about a particular channel, it is bound to write to the Pemra for action," Punjab Pemra general manager Kamaluddin Tippu said on Wednesday.
He said action against any channel was initiated only after hearing the parties concerned. "Even in cases where a channel is involved in anti-religion, anti-Pakistan propaganda or fanning sectarianism it is given a chance of hearing before taking action against it," he added. He said the Pemra had nothing to do with the bar imposed on the relay of the ARY channels by the Punjab government.
He said the Pemra could not take any action against cable operators or tell them to air one channel or the other to the viewers. "We can move against the cable operators only if they relay the channels banned by the Pemra."
The ban imposed by the Punjab government on the relay of ARY channels in the province is violative of the Pemra Act under which the broadcast of a channel can be barred only if it is found involved in a campaign against Islam or Pakistan or is guilty of fanning sectarianism.
The Punjab government on Sunday night stopped the cable operators across the province from airing ARY channels, alleging they were "campaigning against the provincial government" following the torture of three TV journalists at the hands of the Lohari Gate police. One of the journalists belonged to the ARY news channel. The journalists reportedly had a brawl with the police on the parking of their vehicle when they reached the Minar-i-Pakistan for the coverage of a public meeting of a religious organisation.
Official sources said the Punjab government was under the impression that the channel had "sympathies" for the MQM and promoting it by having launched a "smear" campaign against the provincial government and top PML leaders. "The news channel is serving the purpose of the MQM by campaigning against the Punjab government in the name of freedom of press," they added.
"The ARY deliberately got the reaction of that party on the issue containing scathing criticism of the Punjab government and Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi," they explained. The chief minister is also quoted as having said that no one would be allowed to widen the gap between the government and media to achieve his nefarious designs. The government believed in the freedom of press, he told reporters the other day.
The sources said the ban on the channels would be lifted only when its TV management requested for the same to the chief minister in person.
A Punjab government officer, however, claimed that the bar on the channels would be lifted shortly.
ARY bureau chief Nasrullah Malik said the channel was not serving the agenda of any party. "We do not discriminate, we give equal coverage to all parties and such allegations are baseless," he said, adding the ARY management would not talk to the Punjab government unless it allowed broadcasting the channels.
He said the management was also considering to move the Supreme Court against the unilateral decision of the Punjab government.
HRCP condemns harassment of journalists
Karachi --- The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the rising spate of violence against working journalists in the country and their victimisation over the past few months.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday, HRCP Secretary General Iqbal Haider said it was shocking that instead of protecting working journalists and ensuring freedom of the Press, police and administration were callously attacking and harassing them with impunity and without any checks or restraint by the government.
Mr Haider appreciated the suo moto notice taken by the Chief Justice of Pakistan of reports regarding false implication and malicious prosecution of Rawalpindi journalist Shakil Anjum at the behest of a police officer.
He requested the chief justice to expand the scope of the notice and investigation to include all other recent incidents of attacks on freedom of the Press, harassment and victimisation of working journalist and attacks on their lives and property in different parts of the country.
This, he said, should include the unprovoked beating of a senior journalist and office-bearer of PFUJ CR Shamsi in Islamabad by the staff of a federal minister; thrashing of three journalists of ARY television network namely Wadood Mushtaq, Zahid Azeem and Nazir Awan by Lahore police, and the subsequent action taken by the Punjab government to unlawfully prevent broadcast of the channel; attack on the life of Manzoorul Hassan, Editor of Ishraq (Al-Mawrid Institute's Magazine) of Lahore; burning of the houses of journalist Ariz Mohammad Mirani and his relatives in the Roshanabad village of Taluka Rohri; murder of Munir Ahmed Sangi of daily Kawish and KTN; killing of Hayatullah Khan who was kidnapped on December 5, 2005 and found dead on June 16, 2006 in North Waziristan's town of Mirali with bullet wounds in his head; and kidnapping of Mukesh Rupeta and Sanjay Kumar of Geo Television by law-enforcement agencies from Jacobabad.
Mr Haider called upon the government to respect the fundamental rights guaranteed under the constitution, in particular freedom of the press and expression, and restrain from attacking, harassing or victimising journalists in any manner whatsoever.