Ban on Geo News is an illegal act, say journalists
KARACHI: The ban on Geo News is an illegal act, imposed arbitrarily without hearing the channel’s version, said senior journalists here on Saturday.
Speaking at an event held to express solidarity with the affected staffers of Geo News at its office, the editor of Jang, Nazir Leghari, said that Pemra had shattered the basic principle of law by slapping a ban on the channel.
Leghari further said that in the petition filed against Geo News, the Jang Group had been labeled as a traitor. However Pemra never bothered to hear the group’s defence, which makes suspension of Geo’s licence unethical and illegal.
Idrees Bakhtiar of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ-Dastoori) said that Geo News should not have been banned for a “mistake” of a few people as the channel employed thousands of people.
Secretary-General of PFUJ, Khurseed Abbasi, said that the sacrifice of Geo News is unparalleled. “We condemn the decision made by Pemra, and the whole fraternity of journalists stand with Geo.” The president of Karachi Press Club, Imtiaz Faran, observed that Geo is a trendsetter in Pakistan’s electronic media. He wondered how talk shows in other channels would be conducted without the cue from Geo News. “No matter how tough the times get, the Karachi Press Club will never shy away from standing with Geo News,” said Amir Latif, the general-secretary of KPC.
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