KARACHI: Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has warned private TV channels that despite advice and warnings issued from time to time, some satellite TV channels are airing live coverage and taking live telephone calls from public which contain baseless propaganda against Pakistan and incite people to violence.

According to a notification issued by the Pemra Head Office on Tuesday, the license or permission holder shall comply with Pemra Ordinance LXV of 2007. It is further said that any broadcaster who violates the terms and conditions of the Pemra ordinance, rules and regulations and code of conduct must be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with a fine which may extend to ten million rupees or with both.

Any distribution service license or its representative who violates or abets violation of any provisions of the ordinance shall stand punishable with imprisonment for a term, which extends to one year or with a fine that may extend to five million rupees or with both. The Pemra has also directed all the license-holders to ensure that nothing is transmitted or broadcast in violation of the provisions of said Amended Pemra Ordinance 2007.

It has also directed broadcasters to install time delay equipments within its system to prevent any such violations otherwise legal action must be taken against them besides revocation of license.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, has termed the fresh warning to private TV channels from the Pemra including threats of three years sentence, Rs10 million fine and cancellation of license under the amended Pemra Ordinance 2007 as most serious. They have called it an attempt to restrict TV channels from election coverage.

The 39 days long ban is depriving millions of Pakistanis of their fundamental right to know. As the undeterred struggle for restoration of democracy and basic human rights enters into its second month throughout the country, another equally powerful and significant movement is gaining ground among the public. In this regard, millions of common folks living all across the country are now raising serious questions about the ban on the Geo TV, which had informed people about what is happening around them. It sensitised them about the root causes of the problems being faced by their beloved country in almost every field.

Majority of people in Pakistan in general and in the provincial metropolis in particular has openly expressed their displeasure and a great sense of loss on depriving them of their fundamental right of being informed about their own country and their own affairs.

The common man in the street, womenfolk in the houses and little children in the schools are repeatedly asking one single question, which has too many questions enclosed within, that is why Geo TV has been banned?

The answer also comes from the same common people who would put forward the only justification they could find out for the abrupt ban by the government and that is, “It seems Geo TV was telling too much, which was certainly not affordable to the government and it will never want the people to get smart and educated.”

To Pakistanis, the only and the most heinous crime Geo TV committed was exposing the double standards and white lies and brining the truth in front of the people, the real owners of this country.

No government in the world, specially a military government, could afford to have educated, well-informed and agitated masses and that’s exactly what Geo TV had done in just a very short span of just a little over two years, a fate no one has ever attained yet including all the firebrand political leaders, educationists and intellectuals.

The ‘Restoration of Geo TV Movement’ is not engineered by Communication studies experts, nether the owners of the Geo TV pumped up millions of rupees in the streets to win over the ‘loyalties ‘ of every common Pakistani, it is the Pakistanis who took it to their hearts and minds.

It was first time ever in the six decades of this country’s short history that people were being informed right in their bedrooms about the most sensitive and crucial developments happening in the country while their interest being put on the top. These brave men and women had put their lives at stake day in and day out only to provide maximum amount of information to their viewers. It was the love of the people of Pakistan for Geo TV, which was the real wind beneath the wings of every reporter, cameraman, anchor person, technical staff, analysts and other Geo staff, which kept them going on no matter how tough the going was.

Everyday, for the last 39 days, hundreds of men, women and children, uninvited, simple common people, bring bouquets of flowers, stand and listen to the Geo song and express their solidarity with the Geo TV’s staff at the specially set up protest platform at Davis Road in front of the Geo Lahore Offices just out of pure love for this television network, which the people proudly called their own television network since it is all about them for them.

No appeal has been sent to their homes, offices or in the media calling them to come and pay their tributes and express their feeling for Geo TV but still people emerge in huge numbers braving the chilling weather, rain and wind along with their small kids just to say “We are with You Geo”.

Besides the regular around the clock protest platforms at Geo Offices, there is a constant protest camp at the Lahore {Press club where people from all walks of life, specially, journalists from other media organisations and like PUJ and PFUJ, Lawyers community, students, NGO representatives, political parties workers and leaders including Benazir Bhutto, Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Imran Khan and many others have made their visits only to express their solidarity with the media in general and Geo TV in particular.

All this said and done, the Geo TV is still sticking to its guns by not bowing down to beg for lifting of the ban. The only message Geo TV’s entire team has to give to the people is ‘Thank You, the live-hearted brave people of my great city, Lahore, and thank you brave people of my beautiful country, Pakistan, for standing by us for believing in us.”