Geo TV logo.
At least six criminal cases were registered on Wednesday in different cities against the owner of Geo/Jang Group along with team members and guests in the controversial episode of Geo TV’s morning show ‘Utho Jago Pakistan’.
First of these FIRs was registered in Faisalabad’s Kotwali police station.
“On the court orders, the Kotwali police registered a case vide FIR No 228/14 under sections 295-A, 295-C and 298-A/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against Geo’s Chief Executive Mir Shakilur Rehman, the morning show host Dr Shaista Lodhi, actress Veena Malik, her spouse Asad Bashir Khattak, Qawwals, producers and other male and female participants of the programme,” said the petitioner Chaudhary Ejaz Ahmad Wahla.
Wahla has demanded immediate arrest of the accused Geo team and owner as well as participants of last week’s morning show episode, which allegedly contained objectionable content.
In Sheikhupura, the City B-Division police station also registered a blasphemy case against Geo’s Chief Executive Mir Shakil and 29 others. The case was registered on the complaint of Seth Iftikhar Ali Tayyab Advocate under Section 295-A of PPC on the orders of additional district and session Judge Sheikhupura Javed Iqbal Sheikh’s court.
Two cases were registered against Geo in district Gujranwala while one case was registered in Punjab’s Hafizabad district.
Meanwhile, an additional district & sessions judge in Lahore sought comments from the SHO Islampura on a compliance petition seeking direction to the police official for registering an FIR against Geo.
The petition, filed by advocate Sardar Aftab Virk contended that the police seemed reluctant to register a case against Geo despite the court orders. In this connection, a group of lawyers in Lahore staged a demonstration against Geo, warning that their protest might turn violent if a case was not registered against the media group.
Carrying placards demanding registration of case against Mir Shakilur Rehman and his companions, the lawyers alleged Punjab inspector general police had forbidden police to register case against Geo on the strict instructions of Punjab chief minister.
However, later Lahore’s Anarkali police station also registered a case against Geo.
Separately, a case was registered against Geo in Karachi, after a district and sessions court ordered the SHO of Mithadar police station to file an FIR. Mirza Muhammad Asif Baig Advocate had moved an application and contended that he approached the SHO of Mithadar, Tariq Baig, to book Geo’s management.
On Wednesday, the SHO appeared before the court and submitted that no one came to the police station to register the case. Following his reply, the court ordered the police to record the statement of the applicant and lodge a case against the nominated suspects.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2014.
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This is terrible for all of us ............. heading towards mob rule , intolerance and violence.