Re: Police raids Aaj television station in Islamabad
Let see how many journalists Mushrraf locks up.
Feisty media defied Pak military crackdown
4 Nov 2007, 0136 hrs IST,Chidanand Rajghatta,TNN
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WASHINGTON: Twenty first century technology trumped 20th century tactics as Pakistan’s feisty media defied the military crackdown and conveyed the nation’s turmoil and agony to the world.
Although Perves Musharraf’s military junta shut down the country’s cable news channels and free media, some outlets continued their broadcast over the internet, and when net access was denied, used their Gulf offices to provide updates.
The Urdu-language Aaj TV went bilingual in one webcast, so that, its anchor said, “we can tell the world what is happening in Pakistan.”
The Pakistani diaspora and regional analysts also tapped into Al Jazeera, Indian news channels, and Indian websites, all of which provided wall-to-wall coverage of the developments.
Some Pakistani newspapers managed to update their websites and be read in the west despite the crackdown at home.
US channels were mostly asleep on the watch, as they tend to be on Saturday mornings. The domestic CNN cottoned on to the story only at 10 a.m EST, hours after it broke.
Thanks to the internet, news emerged soon after the emergency declaration that a majority of Pakistan Supreme Court judges had declared it illegal. Some of them, including chief justice Chowdhury, were reportedly arrested as a result.
The Supreme Court judges were required to sign a new provisional constitutional order mandating the state of emergency, but 6 of the 11 justices signed an order calling the declaration illegal, it was revealed.
As always, some of the US print media was ahead of the curve on the emergency issue based on select briefings from the administration. The New York Times had reported on Friday that the Bush administration had warned Musharraf against declaring martial law.
By the time Musharraf went on the live television past midnight Pakistan time for an hour long rant and whine, much of the sub-continent was asleep. But it was prime time in Europe and 3 pm in the United States, where Musharraf’s patrons were tuned in to hear his latest explanation for subverting democracy.
Evidently aware that he had to explain his action to his benefactors, Musharraf switched to English about 40 minutes into his lament. But after a live telecast of the first few minutes which was in Urdu, CNN had lost patience and turned to domestic programming.
