Breaking News: Musharraf forces GEO News shutdown
At the behest of Pervez Musharraf, the Dubai government has ordered the GEO News channel to shut down at 3PM EST. The GEO Television Network’s other three channels will continue to broadcast, but are forbidden from airing public affairs programs and breaking news.
The GEO Television Network, consisting of Pakistan’s most popular channels, transmits out of Dubai’s Media City. The move by the Dubai government predominantly impacts GEO’s international satellite viewers; the Pakistani government has already pressured cable providers in the country to stop airing GEO Network channels.
GEO News and its competitor ARY One World have resisted governmental pressure to accept censorship. The action against GEO News raises the question: Will ARY One World be next, or will they make a deal with Musharraf?
Today’s shutdown of GEO News is the latest of Musharraf’s attempts to intimidate and control GEO and its owner, the Jang Group. Last week, senior Jang Group figures received threats from individuals purportedly from a Taliban outfit — strange, since the president of Pakistan has described the country’s independent media as abetting militants. Around the same time, Pakistani government officials also attempted to shut down the publishing presses of the Jang Group’s newspapers, The News and Jang. Back in May, the offices of GEO News and another channel, AAJ Television, were also attacked by individuals suspected to be working for Musharraf’s government.
Musharraf’s greatest advantage over the media is time. The longer they are off the airwaves in Pakistan, the more public and private advertising dollars they lose. As a result, smaller networks have conceded to Musharraf’s demands in recent days. Both DawnNews and AAJ Television have returned to Pakistani airwaves. The latter channel has agreed to not air its leading public affairs programs, Live with Talat and Bolta Pakistan.
As of today, DawnNews has been featuring political advertisements promoting Chaudhry Pervez Ellahi — chief minister of Punjab, cousin of PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Musharraf ally, and potential prime ministerial candidate. The advertisements promote Ellahi and Musharraf and are done in the name of the government of Punjab — clearly a violation of the election code of conduct released by Pakistan’s Election Commission prior to emergency rule.
[...] is breaking and shocking news. Geo TV has been ordered shut down by the UAE government. Pakistan Policy has more: At the behest of the Pakistani government, the United Arab Emirates has ordered the GEO [...]
Please Mr. or Gen. Musharaf, let leave the Pakistan for the sack of Pakistan, it would be better if you go-away from this country & stop saying sub sey pehley pakistan, We are Pakistani & we want sub sey pehley Pakistani for the sack of Pakistan
At the end of the day one thing has been confirmed: MUSHARAFF IS JUST A TINPOT THIRD WORLD DICTATOR.
GO MUSHARAFF GO!
This great news.
GEO aired the dead body for the family to view. This never happens in the U.S. Total shock.
Mir S R is an Asshole. He had stopped payment on GEO bank check two weeks ago.
I hate GEO for what it has done to the family.
Thankfully.
We can disagree with Geo’s editorial policy [i do] , one can also build a case of Geo serving interests of the ruling classes , but Nothing can be a justification for censorship!
You may call it ridicules but I must say Geo policies were never worth for Pakistan. They never had taken a stand of both political sides or tend to solve mysteries for the sake of country people. Geo motto was always staying behind the scene and direct anarchy within the country. Never heard of any positive happenings in Pakistan through this channel. This channel has bankrupted the picture of Pakistan made by a man to the outside world. Now they’r biting him who has given them liberty since eight long years. They just made the fuckin money. Never saw them contributing with sufferers but exploiters. One question. Dare for more if you can. Geo …… let me know one contribution of yours where you truly can justify as a patriot? Do you really know what a patriot is? A patriot has lots of responsibilities rather than just provocations through a word of mouth. Best of luck for your entertainment channels. May they flourish in positive prospect & with a patriot Islamic devotion. I hope your other channels don’t publicize europium culture.
yeah, europium culture sucks balls.