Update | 11.04.2018

The PMA today requested an urgent update and clarification from Pakistan media regulator PEMRA as to the continued situation regarding the blocking of TV channel Geo across 80% of the country.

On Monday 2nd April PEMRA  put out a notice for cable operators not to disrupt Geo’s transmissions stating that if Geo was not restored according to the law within 24 hours, the licences of the relevant cable operators would be terminated.

That 24-hour notice has now been exceeded by more than one week and yet there has been no further explanation, or it seems, termination of licences for cable operators.


07.04.2018
The Public Media Alliance [PMA] speaks out for media freedom and the rights of citizens to access a range of independent and pluralistic media.

Pakistan is to hold a General Election in July 2018 and so it is with great concern that PMA notes the current unlawful blocking of Pakistan’s largest TV network Geo.

In early March, Geo News was shut down in some areas of Pakistan and today Geo channels are being blocked by cable operators across 80% of the country. The shutdown remains in force despite calls earlier this week for Geo services to be reinstated from some Ministers, the Chief Justice and the country’s media regulator, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority [PEMRA].

Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbalis was among those to raise concern, stating that neither PEMRA nor the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had issued instructions to put the channels off air. “If these things are not corrected then questions will be raised on the transparency of the upcoming elections,” said Iqbal.

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Marriyum Aurangzeb,also acknowledged that suspending Geo News is in violation of PEMRA rules. Yet still no action has been taken.

The PMA would expect Pakistan’s media regulator to explain and resolve the blocking of channels but PEMRA has been reported as saying that it is not behind the move. On Monday 2ndApril PEMRA issued a notice for cable operators not to disrupt Geo’s transmissions stating that if Geo was not restored according to the law within 24 hours, the licences of the culprit cable operators would be terminated.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Saqib Nisar, added his voice acknowledging that restricting TV channels from working freely is a violation of Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) has also lent its support to Geo TV network, calling any unlawful closure of licensed TV channels a violation of the basic rights enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan.

The citizens of Pakistan have a constitutional right to access information, especially in the run up to an election

PMA CEO Sally-Ann Wilson says, “The citizens of Pakistan have a constitutional right to access information, especially in the run up to an election and it is a matter of grave concern that there has been no formal explanation as to why access to Geo is currently being blocked across much of the country. The PMA is writing to the relevant authorities to ask why they are unable to explain or resolve this situation and calling on the Government of Pakistan to resolve the situation with immediate effect”.

In a statement to PMA from Geo, a spokesperson from the broadcaster said that the organisation believed that this was clearly an organised campaign to financially cripple the Geo Network and Jang Group of newspapers in order to influence the editorial policy of the company. “The right to information and rule of law must be respected”. He went on to add, “ the organisation has been continuously pressurised to remove certain working journalists and individual journalists are being harassed consistently now. These illegal actions have resulted in losses and serious financial damages for the group”.

PMA will continue to monitor and report on the ongoing situation in Pakistan.