- Three-member PEMRA committee to review Defence Ministry’s reference against private TV channel
- Geo News claims its broadcast being blocked in several cities
- FIR of Hamid Mir attack registered on complaint of police official
- PM stops ministers from issuing statements on controversial issue
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on Wednesday constituted a three-member committee to review the Ministry of Defence’s application filed against Geo News network for leveling allegations against the premier spy agency of the country, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and issued a show cause notice to the management of the private TV channel asking it to respond to the charges within 14 days.
The committee, comprising Syed Ismail Shah, Pervez Rathore and Israr Abbasi, will review the application against Geo News and apprise the PEMRA board of the facts surrounding the matter. PEMRA officials said the nature of charges against Geo News were serious, hence the channel would be given a full opportunity for offering an explanation.
Meanwhile, Geo News claimed that its broadcast had been blocked in several cities “by use of force and threats” even though PEMRA is yet to take a decision on the matter.
CASE REGISTERED INTO MIR’S ATTACK:
In a related development, the Airport Police in Karachi has registered a case of the attack on Hamid Mir after five days of the incident.
The FIR [First Information Report] of the incident was registered against two unidentified assailants on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Shahadat Khan.
The issue of a delay in registration of FIR had become controversial as the Geo News management had been insisting that Hamid Mir would himself register the case as soon as he is able. However, in wake of a probe by a three-member judicial commission formed on the request of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the police has taken the initiative to register the FIR and begin a formal enquiry into the incident.
CONTROVERSIES GALORE:
The matter has taken a serious turn as another private TV channel, ARY News which has been on a warpath with Geo News for quite some time, on Wednesday claimed that Hamid Mir had denied naming ISI DG General Zaheerul Islam of being involved in the attack on him.
Speaking on programme ‘Khara Such’ hosted by Mubashar Lucman, journalist Asad Kharal claimed that sources close to Hamid Mir had told him that as soon as Mir regained consciousness and was informed about his brother Amir Mir’s accusations against the DG ISI, the injured journalist had denied raising any suspicion on the spy chief. Pakistan Today could not confirm the veracity of this claim.
Separately, a Defence Ministry spokesman on Wednesday denied Tuesday’s statement by Geo News Islamabad Bureau Chief Rana Jawad in the ‘Aaj Kamran Khan Ke Sath’ show that the defence secretary, defence minister and information minister had spoken to him before moving the reference against his TV channel.
In view of the controversial issue, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered his ministers not to issue any statements that might put the government in any embarrassing situation.