Islamabad, June 4: President Pervez Musharraf tightened the regulation on Pakistan’s media today, the latest move against dissent in a growing political crisis over his suspension of the chief justice.
Under an emergency ordinance that becomes effective immediately, Musharraf made a raft of amendments to regulations governing the electronic media, including private television channels blamed by Musharraf of being anti-government.
The ordinance says authorities can seal the premises of broadcasters or distributors breaking the law and fine the violators from 1 million rupees ($16,665) to 10 million rupees ($166,650).
The Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority can also suspend the licence of an offender.
Mohsin Raza, director of news for the ARY One World channel, said the suspension was a serious threat because of the disruption to vital advertising revenue. “This will let the budding electronic media starve and thousands of people’s jobs will be at risk,” Raza said. “This is the worst tool the government is preparing.”
Other leading TV channels, Geo and AAJ, today accused the authority of ordering cable operators to block their trasnmission as hundreds of angry demonstrators in Islamabad condemned Musharraf for stifling the media’s voice.
The Geo TV management said the transmission of their live programme, Merey Mutabiq, anchored by Dr Shahid Masood on the judicial crisis, was blocked last night.
The regulatory authority spokesman Mohammed Salim was unable to provide a copy of the legislation being amended to specifically determine what other changes had been made. A version posted on the authority’s website appeared out of date.
However, a senior official said that the power to seal a broadcasters’ premises was a significant change. The official, who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, also forecast legal challenges to the stiffened regulations.
Musharraf’s decision to block the TV channels was taken after the meeting of the National Security Council in Islamabad today. The council condemned the anti-government campaign launched by the Opposition parties and the lawyers in the media.
