[A-List] Musharraf Issues Decree Cracking Down on News Media + Thousands Wait to Hear Ousted Pakistani Justice

["Yoshie Furuhashi" <critical.montages@xxxxxxxxx>]

<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/world/asia/05pakistan.html>
June 5, 2007
Musharraf Issues Decree Cracking Down on News Media
By SALMAN MASOOD

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 4 — In an apparent move to curb news media
coverage of the continuing political crisis over his suspension of the
country's chief justice, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the president of
Pakistan, issued a decree on Monday that gives the government more
powers to shut down independent television channels.

The decree allows a government regulatory agency to make new
regulations on its own, to seize broadcast or distribution equipment
and seal the premises of organizations that are operating illegally or
against regulations. It also allows the agency to suspend
broadcasters' licenses.

Even before the decree was issued, several news channels said, their
transmissions were disrupted across much of the country over the
weekend. GEO, the foremost independent channel, said its transmissions
across most of Pakistan had been blocked since Sunday. The channel
produces one of the country's leading political talk shows. Two other
channels also reported heavy interference with their transmissions
over much of the country.

All of Pakistan's independent television channels are transmitted by
cable companies, and journalists blamed the government for pressing
the cable companies to block or interfere with transmissions.

"The country is passing through a critical scenario," said Shahid
Masood, host of the popular GEO talk show, "Meray Mutabik." "If no
talk shows are allowed, if no discussion is allowed,then what is the
use of a news channel?" We are not a party in this dispute. We are
just messengers. Why are you shooting the messengers?"

But government officials deny the claims of interference. Muhammad
Saleem, head of public relations and media at the agency that
regulates the media, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory
Authority, said the government had nothing to do with stopping
transmission of news channels. "There is a dispute between the cable
operators and media channels," Mr. Saleem said. "We have no hand in
this. We ourselves don't know what the issues between them are."

The moves against the television channels and Monday's decree appear
to be the president's latest tactics in containing the political
fallout from the suspension of the chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhry, who has not shied away from challenging the government. The
chief justice's dismissal has added to growing calls for change after
seven and a half years of military rule by General Musharraf, who
seized power in a coup.

The news media have given prominent coverage to the chief justice and
to the lawyers, judges and opposition political parties around the
country who have rallied behind him in his refusal to accept
dismissal.

But on Friday, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority
reminded all television channels that live coverage of political
events was not permitted by law. As a result, private media channels
did not provide live coverage of the chief justice's speech on Sunday
in Abbottabad or of the political rallies timed to the visit at which
protesters chanted against the president.

The increasing pressure on the news media threatens to undo one of
General Musharraf's accomplishments: allowing some of Pakistan's media
to be free from state control. More than 45 independent television
channels have sprung up under his rule. Since the news media have
aired growing criticism of his dismissal of the chief justice, he has
argued that he supports free media but that news organizations should
show responsibility.

The president issued Monday's decree, it said, because Parliament is
not in session and "circumstances exist which render it necessary to
take immediate action."

In an interview on Monday, Imran Aslam, president of GEO TV, called
the government's claims that the transmission blockage was due to
disagreements between television channels and cable operators
"convenient, to put it mildly." He said live coverage of political
events was becoming unacceptable for the government because it "takes
in slogans, fiery speeches and rhetoric."

"News channels were asked to resort to recorded coverage and
self-censorship," Mr. Aslam said. "It was O.K.; we live in an
imperfect world." But he said that his channel's coverage had been
balanced, and that he thought the government should be able to accept
at least some criticism of the type it faced on television talk shows.

Mr. Masood, the GEO talk show host, said in a telephone interview
Monday that his show was blocked Sunday evening as soon as it went on
the air. He said he also had received anonymous threatening phone
calls and that government officials had told his bosses to put him on
paid leave to stop his program. In the show that was to be broadcast
Sunday night, his guests — who took part by telephone — included a
former army chief, a ruling party politician, and a retired judge, all
of whom criticized the government of General Musharraf over its
handling of the current legal and political crisis.

Mr. Masood said that the Jang Group, which owns GEO TV, refused to bow
to the government pressure and that he had no plans to go on a paid
leave.

Two other channels, Aaj and ARY-One, have reported intermittent
blockage of their transmissions since March 9, when the judge was
suspended. Mushtaq Minhas, Aaj's chief national reporter, said
transmission was blocked in most parts of the country starting Friday,
except for a brief period on Sunday. ARY-One faced similar
transmission blocks over the weekend, according to the Pakistani news
media.

On Monday, about 200 journalists, lawyers and opposition politicians
protested boisterously outside the office of the Pakistan Electronic
Media Regulatory Authority here in Islamabad, the capital.

"PEMRA and the government are fully behind the ban," Aroosa Alam, vice
president of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club, was quoted as saying
by Agence France-Presse. "We have won our freedom after a long
struggle and nobody can take it back."

As an active justice, Mr. Chaudhry took cases involving "forced
disappearances" — people believed to have been taken by intelligence
agencies without due process.

In addition, several politically charged cases are likely to come
before the high court soon, including one challenging the legality of
General Musharraf's holding the posts of both president and chief of
the army, and one on whether the present Parliament can re-elect him
president.

Carlotta Gall contributed reporting.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/world/asia/03pakistan.html>
June 3, 2007
Thousands Wait to Hear Ousted Pakistani Justice
By CARLOTTA GALL

ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan, Sunday, June 3 — Pakistan's suspended chief
justice led a cavalcade of about 100 cars jammed with lawyers and
political supporters on a 75-mile trip from Islamabad on Saturday,
continuing to protest his dismissal by Gen. Pervez Musharraf two
months ago.

It was the first trip outside of the capital by the justice, Iftikhar
Muhammad Chaudhry, since his trip to Karachi three weeks ago. Violence
between his supporters and those of General Musharraf broke out upon
his arrival in Karachi, leaving more than 40 people dead.

The government, lawyers' associations and political parties have
blamed one another for the deaths.

On Friday, the government banned protests in the capital, but there
was no attempt to stop Mr. Chaudhry's convoy as it left Islamabad on
Saturday morning for Abbottabad, where he was to speak to the bar
association.

Along the route, hundreds of people stood waiting at every junction
and small town.

When the long motorcade passed, they tossed rose petals at Mr.
Chaudhry's car, played drums and chanted, "Until independence for the
judiciary, the fight goes on!" and "Go! Musharraf Go!"

"This is not just a movement of lawyers, but this is for you, to bring
equality for you," Ahmed Khan, one of the lawyers representing Mr.
Chaudhry, told a rally at the town of Haripur at midafternoon. "That's
why the chief justice is going around the country and why we want him
reinstated."

Mr. Chaudhry never left his car and did not speak to the crowds along the way.

When he arrived in Abbottabad at 11:30 p.m., thousands lined the
streets to welcome him.

The opposition parties led by the former prime ministers Benazir
Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were out in force, as well as religious
parties and other smaller group.

Hundreds of lawyers waited for hours in an Abbottabad park, listening
to speeches and poetry and dancing in the aisles and on stage to a
popular song whose refrain refers to General Musharraf: "Uncle, why
don't you take off your uniform and go back home? Why don't you take
your pension and go back home?"

The chief justice finally began to speak at 2 a.m. Sunday.

He told he lawyers that the judiciary should come forward as a strong
institution that people could trust.

"You are waging an immortal struggle for the independence of the
judiciary and the supremacy of law and the Constitution," he said.
"You have given a lot of sacrifices, but you are not alone. The
judiciary and the ordinary people are standing shoulder to shoulder
with you."

He spoke of human rights and freedom of speech, citing articles of the
a Constitution.

The government did not try to stop the political rallies along the way
in support of Mr. Chaudhry, and the police provided security.

Government pressure was applied instead to the private media channels
that have been following him on his tour of the country.

The government media-regulating agency warned all television channels
that live coverage of events was not permitted, apparently to prevent
them from showing Mr. Chaudhry's speech and the rowdy cheering and
chanting against General Musharraf and the government. By
midafternoon, no channel was reporting live from the event.

"We are encouraged and invigorated with the spirit of this reception,"
Ali Ahmed Kurd, one of lawyers representing the chief justice in his
challenge against dismissal, speaking at Haripur, the main town on the
way to Abbottabad and about halfway through the trip. "If things
continue like this there will be no general or commander any more."

He railed against the military commanders running the country and
moves by the government to clamp down on the news media. "If you close
these channels, can you close off the people's voice from Karachi to
Khyber?" he asked the crowd.

At Haripur, students, workers and retirees who turned out to hear the
lawyers' speeches complained of many things, including rising prices,
the increasing gap between rich and poor, the failing education
system, support for the United States global campaign against
terrorism and the injustice of military rule.

"The work of the army is to defend the country, not rule the country,"
said Amir Shehzad, 22, a chemical engineering student at Haripur.
"There is a revolution happening. We are facing for many years a
military dictatorship and people want democracy."

He said that his father, a security guard, supported the family on $60
a month and that the family could barely get by.

"It's very difficult for people to live because of inflation," Taher
Mehmud, 25, a teacher, said. "Musharraf was welcomed at the beginning,
but because of his policies people feel distanced from him."

Throughout the day, those interviewed along the route seemed to think
that General Musharraf should not stay in power much longer. They
called for elections, rather than a continuation of military rule.

"People do support the lawyers because they are talking about
justice," said Mubarak Dad Abbassi, 57, a government employee from
Rawalpindi, early in the day, adding of Mr. Chaudhry: "I do think
there was an injustice to him. People say he should be reinstated and
Musharraf should go."

Later in the morning, a 24-year-old shopkeeper, Muzzafar, in the town
of Taxila, said: "It is difficult for Musharraf now, everybody wants
change. We want someone who is a fair person, who controls the prices.
That is the concern of the ordinary man. It seems the time is up for
military rule."

At dusk, as the convoy passed Havelian, the last town on the way to
Abbottabad, a banner-waving youth yelled, "The president is
shameless!"

Salman Masood contributed reporting.
--
Yoshie