Those with fond memories of General Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistan's last true dictator, can sit back and wink. The two-skinned President-General Pervez Musharraf has crawled out of the pretensions of being a despot-democrat.
No longer would Karachi socialites have to undergo embarrassments of discussing the intricacies of "genuine democracy." Lahori 'intellectuals' too could dump the concepts of "enlightened moderation" to their rightful place – trash bins. Hapless viewers are rid of maddening talk shows on uppity TV news channels.
On 4th June, the deeply unpopular Musharraf killed a genuine reform his regime had helped blossom. New restrictions have been imposed on electronic media. Amendments were introduced to the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Ordinance, 2002. PEMRA can now suspend the licences of TV channels if they operate illegally or violate PEMRA rules. Under a new section, the PEMRA authorities have been authorised to make new regulations without informing parliament. The new laws also deprive the media of the right to be heard at a Council of Complaints before being punished for violations.
The ordinance raises possible fines for violations from Rs 1 million to Rs 10 million (about $400,000). It also brings Internet Protocol TV, radio and mobile TV under PEMRA regulations. The new ordinance came into force at once. In a promising start, the government suspended the transmission of two private television channels - Geo TV and Aaj TV in major parts of the country.
No one must be surprised. The media had it coming. Taking Mr. Musharraf's macho graciousness for granted, it sought to cross the limits by uninhibitedly broadcasting unprecedented public protests following the General's dismissal of an independent-minded Chief Justice early this year. His government, or let's say just him for the government hardly matters in the scheme of things, had started frowning over the increasing tendency of the press to criticise him, his policies, and worse, the army – Pakistan's holiest cow.
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Article comments
1 - mt
unexplainably dumb antics. the next day there were clips on tv with the information minister meeting a conference table full of owners of media groups, the PBA pakistan broadcasters association, laughing and chatting, with the statement that the regulating authority PEMRA, the govt and tv channels need to understand each other ie communicate with each other better. the channel sent off air was back soon.
Dawn News
2 - moonraven
Where are the quotes from speeches from Rice and Bush about the disappearance of freedom of expression in Pakistan--and the destruction of democracy?
There will not be any because the Pakistani dictator is THEIR GUY....in the best tradition of Somoza.