Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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What is the media for if it doesnt broadcast news and interviews from all sections of people …

Islamic extremists trash Pakistani TV offices after Peres interview

2 hours, 22 minutes ago South Asia - AFP

KARACHI (AFP) - Islamic extremists ransacked the offices of a private Pakistani television channel the day after it broadcast an interview with Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres (news - web sites), police said.

A Geo television official said the incident appeared to be a reaction to an interview in which Peres called on Pakistan to establish diplomatic contacts with Tel Aviv.

“We don’t yet know the reasons behind the attack, but we suspect it could be a reaction to Mr Peres’ interview,” Geo TV chief Imran Aslam told AFP on Saturday.

Police said around 40 men armed with sticks, some of them carrying pistols, barged into the building which also houses the mass circulation daily Jang and the English-language newspaper The News.

During the attack, which occured around 2:20 am local time (2120 GMT), the men smashed window panes, broke the furniture and torched newspapers’ files, witnesses said.

Police arrived at the scene after the mob had fled and no arrests were made.

“The attackers overpowered private security guards and went to the first floor of the multi-storey building where they broke windowpanes and furniture,” said police officer Mushtaq Shah.

“Outside the building they damaged seven cars owned by the newspaper and TV staffers,” he said.

In the interview Peres urged Islamabad to establish contact with Tel Aviv.

“There is no shame in peace, we should reach full normalisation,” Peres said in the interview.

Pakistan is a strong backer of the Palestinians’ right to an independent state and does not recognise the state of Israel.

Islamist parties in overwhelmingly Muslim Pakistan have frequently warned the government against establishing any contacts with the Jewish state.

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

well till now its not been proven who was behind the attack

if indeed it was in protest to that then i don't agree with the way these ppl chose to protest [using violent means], however i agree that peres's interview should NOT have been shown

it has been reported by GEO itself that the attack was also in response to certain controversial programmes like "Uljhan Suljhan"

and i agree with that too. that program is not worth showing in pakistani society. it should be stopped.

while i do condemn these attacks b/c they were violent [tho a positive thing is that, and this must be noted, that there was NO LOSS OF LIFE] .... i still think that GEO TV is "too liberal" and needs to enforce stricter censorship

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

If GEO is too liberal, how come Pakistanis watch Indian channels in such large numbers.

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

well in most Pakistani households, you will not find the whole family sitting together and watching an Indian channel and GEO is as bad.

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

Have you done a survey to come up with this conclusion? :rolleyes:

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

i’m talking about families i know :rolleyes:

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

Well in that case that doesn’t mean that “most Pakistani households” you won’t find whole families watching Indian channels, right?

Many media reports say exactly the opposite and that Indian channels are very popular. Otherwise why are cable operators fighting to show them?

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

People have options on what to watch. They can not impose their will this way. Geo is doing a good job openly discussiong societal issues which were previously swept under the rugs.

The reason to ransack offices is very idiotic as well, even if one feels that the state of israel and its leadership is the enemy, would one not want to know what they are saying. The right wing religious parties refer to that country and its leaders in their publications and their literature, why is it wrong for Geo to not only address it but allow people to see the statements being issued first hand.

Certain elements of the society are defintely not fit to see certain programs on Geo, and they are more than welcome to notonly change the channel, but to openly speak up against the channel.

If there is justification for this behavior as I am sure some will offer, by this token someone can go and pimp slap a rabid mullah screaming hellfire and brimstone in the predictable friday sermons?

Irem noting a "psitive" that there was no los of life is idiotic. its liek soemone breaks into your home because they dont like you, ransack the place, break everything and then someone says ...hey the positive thing is no one got hurt...sure it would be EVEN WORSE if someone lost their life, but this destruction is bad enough.

Somone can use the same idiotic argument regarding the attacks on mosques by rednecks and say, hey..they had an issue with it, and atleast no one got hurt.

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

Its was prolly MQM thugs not happy with only one of their buffoon leaders having his own show.

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

Mr F I do completely agree with you on the second part of your post that YES those attacks were WRONG. I agree to that and that is why if you read my initial post I did condemn the attacks and disagree with the method of protest.

I do think though that GEO should enforce stricter censorship and become more respectful of public sentiment.

TALWAR - they are popular among select crowds and only certain programs are popular. like i know my own friends some of em are addicted to those soaps on star plus and sony. doesn't mean that the level of uncensorship that prevails in indian tv is accepted and applauded by everyone in Pakistan.

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

The actions of trashing a TV station are wrong and better ways of showing contempt for the squatter state of israel can be made.

However it just goes to show no matter what some secualr extremists try and do the idea of a squatter israeli state is not acceptable to muslims especially in the land of al quds!

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

but the "secular extremists" dont go and ransack offices of places like takbeer and crescent.

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

Bunch of idiots. I remember them doing the same thing infront of the KFCs and Mcdonalds in Pakistan. These Matooz should chitther-fried.

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

spock

in namoonon kay paas farigh waqt kucch ziyadah hi hai..

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

Yes Irem is right. Kind of like when women in above ankle length skirts get raped, they were probably asking for it. Great logic girl!!! :k:

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

This could also be staged by Geo to show the "free" world how much they are hated by the barbairans of Pakistan...to look cool effect ju know. Look look the terrorists are after us also, its not just CNN its us us. BullshyT. you are telling me someone like Geo tv doesn't have guards, or doesn't have any protection etc? plz, you can't do jack in Pakistan if you don't have ties to the government, and if you have ties to the government that means mullah stay away from you.

staged.

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

only thing mullah can burn is the billboards in peshawar. though they always forget the movie theaters that show films...which of course are owned by government buddies.

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

This incident had more to do with one of the jang editors sticking his nose too deep into governments underhand dealings with the bugti tribe,geo just came in to hog the spotlight sort of speak.These were professional government gundas,which shows in their organized destruction and scrambling.As logo said no1 can do s**t to u if ur as powerful as these 2 corporations,unless its the government.

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Re: Islamic extremists trash GEO TV offices

correct, but the secular extremists also signing deals with squatter state of israel behind the peoples back nice going!

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does not excuse the mob approch of the self declared defenders of the faith. go protest in the damn street, have a sit in, go on a hunger strike, why go and rip apart the offices of someone you dont agree with. So typical.