Presdient Zardari orders GEO shutdown: Letter by MIR
Geo News, Pakistan’s highest viewership TV channel, is not being seen by most of the country due to orders by President Zardari.
Orders have been given to all cable operators to shut down GEO News transmission and or to place the channel towards the end of the cable frequency where most of the TV sets don’t have access to the channel.
During the Musharraf Emergency, Geo Network lost more than 25 million dollars when all its channels were shut down for almost 3 months.
President Zardari had sent messages to Geo Management that if the Network wanted to r ec over its past losses through its pending court case, and avoid future loss, then it should stop supporting the movement for the restoration of an independent judiciary.
President Zardari had taken offense at media’s reminder to the public of his promises about the restoration of the Nov 3, 2007 judiciary (some of the footage can be seen on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzBmH7szeZU and others on GEO’s website). Geo showed footage of the President’s late wife and Ex Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, openly supporting the restoration of the independent judiciary. Bhutto had made spe ec hes upholding the freedom of the press, restoration of Judiciary and Iftikhar Chaudhry as well as repealing article 58-2B and encouraging people to prepare for a long march for the cause of justice. Most of these points also appeared in Charter of Democracy, an historic document signed by the largest political parties of Pakistan before the last el ec tions. President Zardari has not stood by any of the promises made by him or his late wife and when the mirror was shown to him by the media he reacted in a manner not b ec oming of a civilian government.
Ironically, when Geo was shut down by General Musharraf, Benazir Bhutto had visited GEO’s offices and had categorically stated “I will ensure that Geo will never be treated like this in a future PPP government”; sadly, her legacy does not seem to have survived her, at least not in the President’s House.
Geo is affiliated to the Jang group, Pakistan ’s largest media house., which has been subj ec ted to pressures, threats and intimidation from various governments in the past. The Government of Nawaz Sharif confronted Jang during its last period in office. The pressures were so enormous that the flagship newspaper of the Group was forced to reduce itself to 2 pages, when newsprint as well as government advertising was withdrawn.
Geo does not support any political party nor does it subscribe to any political manifesto. However, it will continue to support the cause of justice and the independent judiciary in Pakistan .
Mir Ibrahim Rahman (MIR)
CEO, GEO Network
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awab
please do not associate her legacy with the co chairman of the hand-written will
the old god damn chain reaction has begun.
the same old damaging vicious circle resulted in humiliated defeat of musharraf and PML-Q.
zardari knows this is the last time he is in power and also PPP is not winning in the future elections..so he seems least bothered about the image and popularity of the party which has dropped to almost zero..to zardari: GEO AUR GENAY DO Mr 10%
extremely happy to learn that….simply hate (hamid mir)jew(geo)tv.all the time instigating people .
You really think geo has no political agenda?
Geo and other media was paid tons of money when bb’s arrival was aired. Even when ns arrived, money was involved to portray these crooks as national heroes.
Now again, the media world has undertones that reports an amount of 20 crores (200 million) being paid to geo for coverage of the lawyers movement.
Geo supports the side that pays them. Our media is not free, nor honest. Face the reality guys.
lol @X 20 crores just to cover the lawyers movement.. hahaha get a life dude and be realistic. Lawyers movement is not something geo is making up (geo cartoon). its happening on the roads, so if they are showing it. and showing you the truth. nothing is false. why the hell do you think this is wrong? You don’t like Geo? Go watch Dunya news, Aaj news if you don’t urdu news channels watch Dawn, Express English, may you like Punjabi or sindhi channels we have them too for you.
Oh all of them have been paid 20 crores to show the lawyers movement. Bhai please tell me who is sponsoring this, and I can bet I will show you what those channels are not showing. the real lawyers movement with their slogans and their feelings and everything.
Thanks to all of those channels kay Govt ki izzat rakhi hui hai and showing only being censored lawyers movement. Huh! 20 crores
GEO Pakistan and Zardari belong to a single class: Black Mailers.
Therefore, one must not show any mercy towards any of the two. Discussing them makes for good reading and good writing. But having sympathy for GEO channel (my foot) or for Zardari makes no sense to me.
both are black mailing each other
both are black mailing each other
Sorry… forgot to say great post – can’t wait to read your next one!
I seriously doubt:
“Geo does not support any political party nor does it subscribe to any political manifesto. However, it will continue to support the cause of justice and the independent judiciary in Pakistan”
We all are so sure about GEO having a soft corner for MQM :)
all pakistan is corrupt first i want to say my self and then others if me right so why other persons tells me that is so to create our own mind will be good.so change ur self and then to any one else.
Teeth Maestro, you are always critical about Geo blocking but Geo TV is being way irresponsible in its lot of programs. BTW who is this clown and why I haven’t seen any rant about him by you. You need to do more to be considered neutral since not voicing against these ‘Analysts” just show you support them.
While we are it who really owns Geo TV since I don’t like it when people label it as Punjabi Conservative voice.