Media News - Monday, April 14, 2008
Pakistan government proposes lifting media restrictions
Pakistan’s newly elected government introduced a bill in Parliament on
Friday to lift the controversial curbs on the independent media imposed
by President Pervez Musharraf last year. Lifting restrictions on the
media was one of the main campaign promises of the parties opposed to
Mr. Musharraf that won an electoral majority on Feb. 18 and now control
Parliament. Those parties have also pledged to revoke other aspects of
the state of emergency President Musharraf imposed on Nov. 3 in an
effort to control the political fallout from his hugely unpopular moves
to oust the independent judiciary and muzzle an independent media. The
emergency decree allowed the government to seal the offices of
independent television networks, confiscate their equipment, revoke
licenses arbitrarily and stop live coverage. Television journalists also
faced heavy fines and up to three years in jail for broadcasting
anything deemed to defame or ridicule the head of state or the army. The
bill seeks to repeal these measures. As part of the clampdown, Mr.
Musharraf took all independent television networks off the air and
allowed them to resume broadcasting only after signing a controversial
code of conduct. The crackdown was condemned widely within and outside
the country, and spurred months of protests by media organizations and
civil society groups.
(New York Times)
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