Third day in a row: Protests against Geo TV continue unabated

Protesters demand PEMRA suspend network’s licence.

BAHAWALPUR/ FAISALABAD/ KOHAT/ PESHAWAR:

Protest rallies against Geo TV were staged in several cities across the country for a third consecutive day on Saturday.

In Peshawar, activists of the Tehreek Jawanan Pakistan (TJP) gathered outside the Peshawar Press Club and demanded the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) suspend Geo TV’s licence for airing of objectionable content on its morning show Utho Jago Pakistan a few days ago.

Addressing protesters, TJP Central President Haji Imtiaz Tanoli said the controversial content broadcast by Geo TV was part of an international conspiracy against Muslims. “The show hurt the sentiments of Muslims across the world. This cannot be tolerated,” he added.

Separately, the Peshawar district president of the Insaf Youth Organisation (IFO) – the youth wing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf – Sajjad Bangash threatened that their activists will besiege Geo TV’s Peshawar bureau office if Pemra did not ban the network in a week’s time.

Although IFO activists had planned to gather outside Geo TV’s Peshawar bureau office on Saturday, the protest was postponed due to an exhibition match being held in the nearby Qayyum Stadium.

PTI activists did, however, take out a protest rally against Geo TV in Kohat. The protesters, who were led by the president of PTI’s Kohat chapter, Humayun Chaha, marched through several streets of the city while carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against Geo.

Later, while addressing PTI activists, Chaha too demanded the government put an end to Geo TV’s broadcast. He said the network first tried to vilify Pakistan Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence, and had now turned its attention to disrespecting religious values.

In Bahawalpur, cable operators staged a protest against the Jang/Geo Group outside the press club, a day after a news conference held by representatives of the Cable Operators Association of Pakistan in Karachi was vandalised by journalists affiliated with the group.

Condemning the behaviour of the Group, the protesters demanded the government register a case against the media group.

In Faisalabad, a protest rally was taken out by schoolchildren under the banner of Association of Private Schools Pakistan. The children marched through the city while carrying banners inscribed with slogans condemning Geo TV.

On the other hand, the Faisalabad District Bar Association (DBA) announced a complete boycott of the Jang/Geo Group and banned the presence of daily newspapers Jang and The News within court and DBA premises.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2014.