Geo off-air or not? Plot thickens!

• As PEMRA committee suspends Geo’s licenses, PEMRA spokesman terms private members’ meeting illegal; final verdict to come on 28th
• SC moved for staying arrests of owner, employees of Geo, Jang group
• SHC, local courts summon Geo administration, Shaista Wahidi for 28th

A private members’ committee of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has suspended the licences of three television channels owned by Geo TV Network over defamation and blasphemy charges recently levelled against the channel, ordering the closure of Geo TV offices. However, a final decision in this regard will be announced following a PEMRA meeting on May 28, which is expected to be attended by the government’s representatives as well who abstained from participating in Tuesday’s meeting.

Speaking to the journalists outside PEMRA Headquarters in Islamabad on Tuesday after the PEMRA meeting, members of the committee comprising Israr Abbasi, Mian Shams and Fareeha Iftikhar announced that they had decided to suspend the licences of Geo News, Geo Entertainment and Geo Tez with immediate effect.

HAVING GOVT REPRESENTATIVES WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:

“All members (present) today unanimously decided that the licence for Geo News be cancelled. However, due to a legal formality that could not be completed, we have sent our recommendations to the Council of Complaints (CoC), advising that they respond before May 28, the date for our next meeting,” said Mian Shamsur Rehman, a member of the PEMRA committee.

“PEMRA is an independent organisation, and it would have been better if a government representative attended today’s meeting as well and help us come up with a decision,” he said.

Shams lamented that apart from him, only four other private members of the media authority attended Tuesday’s meeting which included Israr Abbasi from Azad Kashmir, Shama Parveen from Balochistan, Zeba Hussain from Sindh and Fareeha Iftikhar from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

ABBASI CLAIMS QUORUM WAS COMPLETE:

Abbasi said that one-third members were present during the meeting, whereas government member did not attend the meeting. The suspension is to stay effective until May 28, when another session of the committee will be called to decide on the final decision regarding cancellation of the licences, he added.

Abbasi said that there were members representing the public and the provinces at the meeting which resulted in the suspension of Geo’s licences. He said that in the next meeting, the legal process against Geo would be decided upon, and until then, the group’s licenses will remain suspended. He said that there was no need to refer this decision to the Law Division as PEMRA has been given the authority to take such a decision.

Back in time following the defamation charges, the committee comprising Syed Ismail Shah, Pervez Rathore and Israr Abbasi was tasked to review the Ministry of Defence’s application filed against Geo TV Network for levelling allegations against Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

PEMRA SELF CONTRADICTS:

Interestingly, a couple of hours after the PEMRA private members’ press briefing, a PEMRA spokesperson disowned the decisions announced by the three members of PEMRA regarding cancellation of Geo’s licenses.

“The majority authority members in 95th meeting held on May 9, 2014 had decided to refer the case to the Ministry of Law for legal opinion. The decision of seeking opinion from Law Division was taken in all fairness to avoid any future legal consequences in such a critical issue. The complaint against Geo Entertainment was already referred to the Council of Complaints Sindh. The CoC in its meeting called today [Tuesday] has already recommended about status of Geo’s license. The minutes of the CoC are awaited and the authority would consider this matter in the next schedule meeting,” read the PEMRA spokesperson’s statement.

Moreover, the spokesperson also claimed that Tuesday’s meeting was called without following the laid down procedures and had no legal standing.

“According to Rule 3(4) of PEMRA Rules 2009, the chairman or as the case may be more than half of the total members can call the meeting i.e. out of twelve members at least 07 members can call a meeting. This was an informal meeting attended by five members. The executive member was not even asked to officially convene the meeting and notify it through the secretary to the authority which is the set procedure.”

The clarification claimed that the meeting convened by these members was without any official intimation or invitation to other members in accordance with the procedure. The authority committee is functioning and is exercising the power of chairman in day to day affairs and taking decisions with requisite quorum, the statement added.

GEO WANTS A STAY:

In the meanwhile, Geo and Jang management has resorted to Supreme Court (SC) to seek stay order in connection with arrests of owner and employees in the cases registered against them all over the country.

In this regard, a petition was filed by Akram Sheikh on behalf of Geo and Jang administration Tuesday. The federal and provincial governments and Islamabad chief commissioner have been made respondents in the petition.

The petitioner has prayed the court to seek details of the cases registered against Geo and Jang throughout the country.

“The persons and channels engaged in launching propaganda campaign against Geo’s morning show host Dr Shaista Wahdi and others be restrained from doing so besides directing the PEMRA to take action in this regard. Orders be issued for staying the arrests of owner and employees of GEO and Jang group,” it was pleaded.

The petitioner further prayed that honest police officers be appointed to conduct investigation in the case registered against them with the capital’s Margalla Police.

SHC SUMMONS GEO:

Moreover, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has summoned Geo administration, Shaista Wahidi and Deputy Attorney General on May 28 over airing an allegedly blasphemous content in its morning show.

Earlier, a Sargodha sessions judge directed the complainant to contact Margalla Police Station.

In Faisalabad, Wan Bhachran, Sarai Alamgir, Kasur and Hafizabad the courts concerned have ordered filing of cases against the Geo administration.

In Wan Bachran the court has summoned Mir Shakeel, Shaista Lodhi, Veena Malik and Asad Khatak on May 25.

CABLE OPERATORS BLOCK GEO:

Meanwhile, reports pouring in from various parts of the country said that cable operators had taken Geo channels off their networks in wake of the PEMRA committee’s decision.