Musharraf Tightens Regulations For Pakistani Media

President General Pervez Musharraf tightened the regulation of Pakistan’s media yesterday, the latest move against dissent in a growing political crisis over his suspension of the chief justice.

Under an emergency ordinance that takes effective immediately, Musharraf made a raft of amendments to regulations governing the electronic media, including private television channels that the general has accused of anti-government bias.

The ordinance says authorities can seal the premises of broadcasters or distributors breaking the law, and raises possible fines for violations from 1 million rupees (US$16,665) to 10 million rupees (US$166,650).

The Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority can also suspend the license of an offender.

Mohsin Raza, director of news for the ARY One World channel, said suspension was a serious threat because of the disruption to vital advertising revenue.

“This will let the budding electronic media starve and thousands of people’s jobs will be at risk,” Raza told The Associated Press. “This is the worst tool the government is preparing.”

PEMRA spokesman Mohammed Salim was unable to provide a copy of the legislation being amended to specifically determine what other changes had been made. A version posted on the authority’s Web site appeared out of date.

However, a senior PEMRA official said that the power to seal a broadcasters’ premises was a significant change. The official, who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, also forecast legal challenges to the stiffened regulations.

Officials at the Information Ministry could not be reached immediately for comment.

About 100 journalists, opposition party members and pro-democracy activists demonstrated against the tougher rules, marching from the Islamabad office of the Geo channel to the nearby federal parliament building on Monday evening.

“They want to suppress our voice, but this will not happen,” Shamim-ur-Rehman, president of the Karachi Union of Journalists, said in a speech.

The protesters chanted “Musharraf: we don’t accept your laws” and “Go, army, go!” - despite warnings from government officials that badmouthing the army would not be tolerated. They were also defying a ban on demonstrations in the capital announced last week.

Two dozen police with shields and sticks diverted traffic away from the intersection but didn’t intervene.

Musharraf has fostered unprecedented media freedom since he seized power in a 1999 coup.

However, he has grown exasperated with extensive coverage of the crisis triggered by his March 9 ouster of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.

The turnaround has been accompanied by a spate of threats and beatings against prominent journalists for which authorities have denied responsibility.

Government officials have accused the TV channels of sensationalizing the crisis in talk shows and with live coverage of rallies around the country attended by Chaudhry.

Rallies for the judge, who denies government charges of misconduct, have drawn large crowds of lawyers and opposition activists and growing calls for Musharraf to step down or at least give up his role as army chief before he seeks another five-year term as president later this year.

PEMRA, which supervises radio and TV stations, issued letters to TV channels Saturday, urging them not to air programs that “encourage” violence, or promote an “anti-state attitude.”

The channels were also asked not to air programs that contain “aspersions against the judiciary and the integrity of the armed forces of Pakistan” or malign or slander anyone in public life.

Broadcasters say verbal messages they received privately were even more blunt: Stop live coverage of Chaudhry rallies.

TV stations scaled back coverage during Chaudhry’s rally on Saturday in Abbotabad, north of the capital, which drew tens of thousands of supporters.

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