Musharraf Shuts Down Opposition TV While Negroponte Watches
Government officials in Islamabad shut down domestic broadcasts by leading Pakistani media outlet Geo television when emergency rule was imposed on November 3. Since then, network officials say, the government has waged a campaign to financially cripple the station, intimidating advertisers and suspending sports and entertainment programs.
Pakistan’s main networks have continued to broadcast abroad through Internet and satellite transmissions. But early Saturday, Geo officials said the government pressured the networks’ partners in Dubai to stop relaying its overseas transmissions, effectively shutting down their operations.
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| ARY One World reporters protest Pakistan’s new media rules, 17 Nov. 2007 |
Some independent news channels have signed a new broadcast contract that allowed them to return to the airwaves in recent days, but Geo and ARY One World have not. Geo President Imran Aslam calls the contract “draconian.” He told VOA the contract allows officials to enter television offices at will, seize equipment and arrest employees.
“There have been indications that they would like to see some of our anchors, some of our hosts, some of our journalists sidelines - so we can be tamed a little bit,” he said. “And this is not something we were willing to adhere to.”
The crackdown against the broadcasters was swiftly condemned by journalists, lawyers and political opposition leaders.
Ansar Abbassi, a senior editor with The News newspaper, says he is one of several political reporters who have been unofficially barred by the government from appearing on television networks. “I believe we have been vocal both through our writings and when we are on the air,” he said. “We had no enmity with any party, but representing the people’s view, I think this is not acceptable to Musharraf.” Abassi said despite the crackdowns, General Musharraf remains politically strong, because he still enjoys the backing of the United States.
ISLAMABAD, Nov 16: The Geo television network said on Friday that it had been ordered to shut down its news channel. The channel beams its signals from Dubai. Late on Friday night, a spokesman for the ARY network called Dawn’s Karachi and Lahore offices, saying that the group had been told to shut down its news channel.
Freedom of Speech is the scariest loss. IT IS DONE. Thought police and Orwellian behavior promote clandestine responses.
Let me share the WIKI definition of Orwellian.
The adjective Orwellian refers to these behaviours of State and The Party, especially when the Party is the State:
- The political manipulation of language, by obfuscation, e.g. WAR IS PEACE. Using language to reduce and eliminate ideas and their meanings that are deemed dangerous to its authority.
- Invasion of personal privacy, either directly physically or indirectly by surveillance.
- State control of its citizens’ daily life, as in a “Big Brother” society.
- Official encouragement of policies contributing to the socio-economic disintegration of the family.
- The substitution of traditional religion with the adoration of the State and its Leaders and their Party.
- The encouragement of “doublethink,” whereby the population must learn to embrace inconsistent concepts without dissent, e.g. giving up liberty for freedom.
- The revision of history in the favour of the State’s interpretation of it.
- A dystopian future.
George Orwell may as well have provided the blueprint for Bush & Musharraf to build their dysfunctional worlds. Freedoms are threats to their agendas and they will cloak their activities in “Double Speak” while they whittle freedom away. 
Both dictators guilty of “oppressive political ideas and the use of euphemistic political language in public discourse to camouflage morally outrageous ideas and actions.” Pakistani Bloggers are going crazy about this escalation of suppression:
All Things Pakistan, MicroPakistan, TheEmergencyTimes, PakistanPolitics, CrowsNest, FreePakistan, Munaeem ….. just to mention a few.
A protester throws tear gas shell towards police in Karachi, Pakistan during anti-government riots on Friday, Nov. 16, 2007. A senior U.S. envoy arrived in Pakistan on Friday to urge President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to lift the state of emergency and end a wave of repression that has cast his country into political crisis (Shakil Adi/AP Photo)
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