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| Pakistan Suspends License of Leading News Channel | Pakistan Suspends License of Leading News Channel |
| (3 months later) | |
| LONDON — The Pakistani government on Friday suspended the broadcasting license of Geo News, a popular television channel, in a major escalation of Geo’s dispute with the country’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency. | |
| The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority said the suspension would last for 15 days. It also imposed a $104,000 fine. | The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority said the suspension would last for 15 days. It also imposed a $104,000 fine. |
| The dispute began with accusations that the spy agency was behind a shooting attack on a senior Geo journalist in April. It has broadened into a wider confrontation that is seen as a threat to press freedom and a sign of tensions between Pakistan’s civilian and military leaders. | The dispute began with accusations that the spy agency was behind a shooting attack on a senior Geo journalist in April. It has broadened into a wider confrontation that is seen as a threat to press freedom and a sign of tensions between Pakistan’s civilian and military leaders. |
| Even before Friday’s suspension, Geo News and its sister channels were effectively off the air in much of Pakistan because cable TV operators had pulled them, apparently under pressure from the military. | Even before Friday’s suspension, Geo News and its sister channels were effectively off the air in much of Pakistan because cable TV operators had pulled them, apparently under pressure from the military. |
| Station managers say advertising revenue has collapsed, four of their vehicles have been burned in different cities, and a journalist in Multan, a large city in central Pakistan, was beaten up by unidentified assailants who called him a traitor. | Station managers say advertising revenue has collapsed, four of their vehicles have been burned in different cities, and a journalist in Multan, a large city in central Pakistan, was beaten up by unidentified assailants who called him a traitor. |
| “It seems that justice has bowed down to forces that are above the law,” said Imran Aslam, the president of Geo. | “It seems that justice has bowed down to forces that are above the law,” said Imran Aslam, the president of Geo. |
| The station’s chief executive, Mir Ibrahim Rahman, said, “We are left alone, as usual.” | The station’s chief executive, Mir Ibrahim Rahman, said, “We are left alone, as usual.” |
| Geo News stopped transmission within an hour of Friday’s suspension. The channel has come to dominate Pakistan’s thriving television news media sector over the past decade, with punchy programming and an often populist tone that has led to accusations of sensationalism. | Geo News stopped transmission within an hour of Friday’s suspension. The channel has come to dominate Pakistan’s thriving television news media sector over the past decade, with punchy programming and an often populist tone that has led to accusations of sensationalism. |
| The channel’s initial commercial success and editorial heft made it a lucrative asset for its owner, the Jang Group, but also a source of worry for powerful institutions like the military. | The channel’s initial commercial success and editorial heft made it a lucrative asset for its owner, the Jang Group, but also a source of worry for powerful institutions like the military. |
| The current dispute started after the attack, on Hamid Mir, a senior Geo news anchor. The station aired angry accusations from Mr. Mir’s relatives that the ISI was behind the attack. The military rejected the accusations, and days later asked the national media regulator to cancel Geo’s broadcast license. | The current dispute started after the attack, on Hamid Mir, a senior Geo news anchor. The station aired angry accusations from Mr. Mir’s relatives that the ISI was behind the attack. The military rejected the accusations, and days later asked the national media regulator to cancel Geo’s broadcast license. |
| The Jang Group, a media company headed by Mr. Rahman, appeared to have anticipated Friday’s suspension. Morning editions of The News, an English-language newspaper that it owns, announced that Jang was suing the ISI for defamation over accusations that the company was “anti-state.” Lawsuits of that nature against the feared spy agency are extremely rare in Pakistan, and likely to further increase the stakes in the dispute. | The Jang Group, a media company headed by Mr. Rahman, appeared to have anticipated Friday’s suspension. Morning editions of The News, an English-language newspaper that it owns, announced that Jang was suing the ISI for defamation over accusations that the company was “anti-state.” Lawsuits of that nature against the feared spy agency are extremely rare in Pakistan, and likely to further increase the stakes in the dispute. |
| “More than 8,000 journalists, workers and professionals attached to the group and their families are not only being harassed but also attacked and tortured across Pakistan,” the group said in a statement. | “More than 8,000 journalists, workers and professionals attached to the group and their families are not only being harassed but also attacked and tortured across Pakistan,” the group said in a statement. |
| The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, a political party that has joined the criticism of Geo in recent weeks, said the 15-day suspension was not enough. | The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, a political party that has joined the criticism of Geo in recent weeks, said the 15-day suspension was not enough. |
| “What happens after 15 days?” asked Shireen Mazari, the party’s information secretary. “Will Geo be allowed to go back to its old ways?” The party’s head, Imran Khan, a former cricket star, has accused Geo of colluding with senior judiciary officials to fix the results of the general elections last year. | “What happens after 15 days?” asked Shireen Mazari, the party’s information secretary. “Will Geo be allowed to go back to its old ways?” The party’s head, Imran Khan, a former cricket star, has accused Geo of colluding with senior judiciary officials to fix the results of the general elections last year. |
| For many Pakistani journalists, the dispute is an ominous sign of the military’s intent to influence media coverage of sensitive topics, like the insurgency in Baluchistan Province. | For many Pakistani journalists, the dispute is an ominous sign of the military’s intent to influence media coverage of sensitive topics, like the insurgency in Baluchistan Province. |
| Mr. Mir, who is recovering, had prominently covered reports of human rights abuses by the military in Baluchistan, while Geo had participated in a peace initiative with Indian news outlets that has come under fierce attack. | Mr. Mir, who is recovering, had prominently covered reports of human rights abuses by the military in Baluchistan, while Geo had participated in a peace initiative with Indian news outlets that has come under fierce attack. |
| The battle is also a product of broader tensions between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government, which is viewed as siding with Geo, and the military, which has been angered by the treason charges brought against Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the former military ruler. | The battle is also a product of broader tensions between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government, which is viewed as siding with Geo, and the military, which has been angered by the treason charges brought against Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the former military ruler. |
| As the tensions over Geo came to a boil, Facebook said Friday that it had blocked users in Pakistan from access to the pages of a popular Pakistani rock band and several left-wing political pages, drawing sharp criticism from free-speech activists who accused the company of caving in to government censors. | As the tensions over Geo came to a boil, Facebook said Friday that it had blocked users in Pakistan from access to the pages of a popular Pakistani rock band and several left-wing political pages, drawing sharp criticism from free-speech activists who accused the company of caving in to government censors. |
| The band, Laal, whose members have spoken out against the Taliban, confirmed that their Facebook page, which had over 400,000 “likes,” had been blocked. After an outcry on social media and inquiries by reporters to the Pakistani government and to Facebook, the government reversed itself and Facebook restored access to Laal’s page. But advocates said late Friday that at least six other Facebook pages that promoted progressive debate in Pakistan and that had been blocked during the week remained inaccessible. | The band, Laal, whose members have spoken out against the Taliban, confirmed that their Facebook page, which had over 400,000 “likes,” had been blocked. After an outcry on social media and inquiries by reporters to the Pakistani government and to Facebook, the government reversed itself and Facebook restored access to Laal’s page. But advocates said late Friday that at least six other Facebook pages that promoted progressive debate in Pakistan and that had been blocked during the week remained inaccessible. |
| A spokeswoman for Facebook in London said that it blocked the pages after receiving an official request from the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority. The company says it regularly weeds out pages that promote hate or extremism. But activists said Friday that the latest blocks in Pakistan affected pages that spoke out against extremism, while several extremist pages in the country were untouched. | A spokeswoman for Facebook in London said that it blocked the pages after receiving an official request from the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority. The company says it regularly weeds out pages that promote hate or extremism. But activists said Friday that the latest blocks in Pakistan affected pages that spoke out against extremism, while several extremist pages in the country were untouched. |