The private members of Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) have said that Geo Television Network could not be shut down because of government intervention.
Regretting the failure in sealing Geo Network’s offices, PEMRA member Mian Shams said that in the last meeting they had decided to suspend the license but instead of channel’s closure, Geo was seeking new fronts.
Another PEMRA member Israr Abbasi said that Geo News and Jang were running an advertising campaign. He said that Mir Shakilur Rahman should have shut down Geo News himself after running a “defamation campaign” against Pakistan Army. He further revealed that due to government’s pressure, PEMRA Secretary Nasir Ayub has been told to not attend Wednesday’s meeting.
In the meanwhile, PEMRA member Fariha Iftikhar said that journalism was a sacred profession and the way Geo TV had treated the Army, the nation had turned against the channel.