[Current Affairs] 02 June, 2021 Top Pakistan Current Affairs for PPSC Test Preparation

3. Geo responds after taking TV host off air

What’s going on? On Friday, well known-Pakistani journalist, Hamid Mir, and dozens of other journalists attended a rally in Islamabad to condemn the attack on fellow journalist, Asad Ali Toor, who works for Aaj News. Geo News took Mir off-air shortly after he spoke at the protest. During his speech, Mir reportedly implied that Pakistan’s military was involved in rising attacks on journalists in Pakistan. Mir also demanded accountability for repeated attacks on journalists.

The details: Geo’s management informed Mir that he won’t be hosting “Capital Talk” on Geo News starting on Monday. According to Mir, Geo’s management said “there’s a lot of pressure.” However, they didn’t specify where that pressure was coming from. “Capital Talk” is known to be a popular show. During the program, Mir would invite guests to debate about current events in the country.

Support for Mir: Amnesty International South Asia tweeted in support of Mir, saying “censorship, harassment and physical violence must not be the price journalists pay to do their jobs.” The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it “strongly condemns” the decision to take Mir off air, saying he was right to voice his concerns about the safety of his peers and colleagues. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) called on Geo’s management to let the journalist fraternity know what drove their decision to take Mir off air. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said forcing Mir off air “underscores the lack of true press freedom in Pakistan.”

Geo’s response: The Geo/Jang Group issued a statement after excess pushback from journalists and rights groups. It said Mir made a speech that “resulted in backlash from different segments of society.” Geo also said its editorial committee and lawyers have to see if any policies or laws were violated. In the meantime, someone else will temporarily host “Capital Talk.” Geo also claimed that it works hard to keep its viewers informed despite a previous shutdown, plus threats and fake allegations against its journalists.

The context: Last Wednesday, three unidentified men beat up Toor at his apartment in Islamabad. Toor is reportedly known for his critical coverage of Pakistan’s govt and military. In a police report, Toor said his attackers claimed they were from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. In 2014, Mir himself survived a gun attack shortly after he spoke about the military’s alleged rights violations in Balochistan. At the time, Mir’s family accused Pakistan’s intelligence service of coordinating the attack.

Looking ahead: In response to being taken off air, Mir said this is nothing new for him. So far, authorities haven’t arrested anyone in connection with the attack on Toor, and police are still investigating. Without naming Mir or Geo, Pakistan’s Information Minister, Fawad Chaudhry, said media institutions are responsible for their own policies under Article 19 of the Constitution. Article 19 is supposed to protect freedom of speech, expression, and the press. However, these rights are subject to certain limitations in the interest of things like “Islam,” “security,” “defence,” “public order” “morality” or “decency.”

Throwback: While speaking at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in 2019, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan denied accusations about suppressed press freedom in Pakistan, claiming that “the media in Pakistan is not just free, but sometimes out of control.” In response, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) pointed out legal cases against journalists, suspended news channels, and attacks on reporters in Pakistan.

The bottom line: Journalists in Pakistan have reportedly been encountering an increase in press censorship. Journalists and press freedom advocates keep trying to reiterate that critical comments about key state institutions are an important part of democracy, and not a crime.