I don’t understand why Geo management is not shifting its operation for UAE to UK?
Geo TV told to stop two popular programs
Friday, June 13, 2008
News Desk
KARACHI: Geo TV has again been asked to stop its transmissions by the Dubai administration, apparently under immense pressure from the Pakistani authorities to stop the channel from supporting the restoration of the deposed judges of the Supreme Court.
In communications to the Geo management, the Dubai authorities, rather apologetically, pleaded that the channel should stop at least two popular talk shows, “Capital Talk” hosted by anchor Hamid Mir and “Meray Mutabiq” hosted by Dr Shahid Masood, because the authorities in Pakistan so desired.
The Geo management was told that the programmes were damaging the relations between Dubai and the friendly and brotherly country of Pakistan.A similar request was made by the Dubai administration about one month ago in which it was said that all programmes supporting the restoration of the deposed judges should be stopped by the channel.
The Geo management has told the Dubai authorities, very politely, that the channel was serving the Urdu-speaking community around the world and was providing the latest information about the events in their country without bias or ill-will.
The Dubai administration was also told that Geo never had any intention to damage relations between the two countries and had never done anything to create any misunderstanding or ill-will between them.
The Dubai administration was also told that if it insisted on closing the transmissions, Geo TV would quickly move its entire Dubai operations to either the UK or Hong Kong as it was committed to inform its viewers about the real situation in Pakistan.
The Dubai administration was told that President Musharraf and his allies were continuously trying to pressurise TV channels to stop all programmes on the issue of the restoration of the judiciary. The current demand to stop the popular TV programmes was also from the same associates and allies of President Musharraf.
The Geo management has also emphasized to the Dubai administration that the channel will continue to keep its viewers informed and will not succumb to the vested interests of some interested quarters in Pakistan.
The Geo management has also requested the Dubai authorities not to stop the transmission and let the channel know how and when it had violated the rules and regulations of Dubai in its telecasts for the last many years.
The Geo management has also stressed that any such action by the Dubai authorities will cause serious unwarranted damage to the channel. Meanwhile, in a press release, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) called on the governments of Pakistan and the UAE to explain how the Geo News that broadcasts by satellite from Dubai, was under threat of losing its licence to operate in Dubai.
Geo TV president Imran Aslam told RWB that the Dubai authorities informed him last night that the station would lose its licence if “Capital Talk,” a show hosted by Hamid Mir, and “Meray Mutabiq”, hosted by Shahid Masood, were not taken off the air.
Officials at Dubai Media City, where the Geo TV group is based, said these programmes threatened the UAE’s relations with a friendly country.The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) also expressed grave concern on dropping of two popular talk shows at the request of the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“The IFJ calls on the UAE government to explain why, and on whose authority, it asked the independent Pakistan television broadcaster to cancel the programmes,” a press release of the federation said.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) said the owner of Geo and the Jang group of newspapers, Mir Shakeelur Rehman, confirmed that UAE authorities had asked Geo to discontinue broadcasting Capital Talk, and Meray Mutabiq. Information Minister Sherry Rehman reportedly said that the new government had not asked the UAE to act against Geo.
It is the second time in six months that the UAE has blocked Geo programming. On November 17, 2007, the broadcaster’s Dubai office was shut down by a phone call from the UAE government under pressure from Pakistan, which at that time was under emergency rule imposed by President Pervez Musharraf.
Hamid Mir told the IFJ on Thursday that he had received messages in recent weeks that President Musharraf was displeased with his programme. Mir was informed, as he prepared for his regular Thursday programme, that the closure of both shows came into force at midnight on June 11.
Capital Talk had only returned to air in early March 2008 after being banned during the November state of emergency. On Thursday, the PFUJ was informed that the new bans would be debated when parliament next meets on June 14. The IFJ joins the PFUJ in calling for a prompt parliamentary resolution for Pakistan’s government to request that UAE authorities not intervene in the affairs of independent broadcasters and that the ban be overturned and the programmes returned to air.
“The new Dubai bans against Geo TV continue a disturbing censorship pact that emerged in November 2007 when Pakistan pressured the UAE to act against independent broadcasters,” said the IFJ Asia-Pacific.
“The IFJ calls on the UAE Government to step back from its interference in independent and critical programming, which are essential components of a free media and open society anywhere in the world,” the statement said.
