Pakistan holds off enforcing new media curbs

Islamabad, June 7: The Pakistani government has suspended new curbs on broadcasters following scathing criticism of the restrictions at home and abroad, officials said today.

President Pervez Musharraf, facing a mounting opposition campaign to his rule, issued an ordinance on Monday giving the state broadcasting authority more powers to shut down television stations.

But Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani said the government had decided to review the ordinance after a meeting between a delegation of broadcasters and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz yesterday.

''Yes, the ordinance has been suspended,'' Durrani told Reuters.

Both sides agreed to set up a six-member committee to review the new law, he said.

''No action will be taken against broadcasters under the ordinance until the committee submits its report,'' he said.

The Pakistani media, television in particular, has flourished under Musharraf and he hails media freedom and growth as one of his government's achievements.

But his relations with the private media have soured since a crisis erupted over his suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on March 9.

Musharraf, who is also army chief, had accused some television networks of unbalanced reporting of the opposition campaign that blew up after his move to sack Chaudhry.

The government has also objected to live broadcasts of opposition rallies in which Chaudhry's supporters criticised the army, and last week tightened up media rules, effectively banning live broadcasts.

The tighter restrictions on the media have been condemned in Pakistan and abroad.

US-based Human Rights Watch, in statement issued before the new ordinance was suspended, said the broadcast media was being ''muzzled''.

Today, thousands of opposition activists, lawyers and journalists chanting ''Go Musharraf go'' staged rallies in several towns and cities against the suspension of Chaudhry and curbs on media.

The opposition campaign is the most serious challenge yet to the authority of Musharraf, an important US anti-terror ally, and comes in the run-up to presidential and parliamentary elections.

REUTERS

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