Musharraf orders strict controls on media

Pakistan edged closer to a full state of emergency on June 4 with the imposition of strict controls on newspapers and television in an attempt to contain anti-government protests. President Pervez Musharraf issued a decree banning coverage of demonstrations against his government and dissemination of any criticism of the armed forces. Media outlets were also ordered to stop live news coverage and to suspend political talk shows. Violation of the new regulations can result in heavy fines and even imprisonment for editors and the owners of media companies. Some of the most popular television channels went off air on June 3 after the government blocked their transmission for several hours. Nasir Baig Chugtai, managing director of GEO News, one of the largest independent Pakistani TV networks, said transmission of Meray Mutabik ("According to Me") a popular prime-time talk show, was halted, because it carried comments critical of government policies. Television operators had warned national and international broadcasters that their channels would be blocked if they aired material critical of the Pakistani government. Last week the government banned public rallies in the capital Islamabad. But Musharraf's orders have been defied by thousands of protesters. Pakistan has been troubled by civil unrest since March, when Musharraf ordered the suspension of the country's chief justice and launched an investigation into alleged corruption in the judiciary. However, Musharraf's opponents claimed Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry had been removed from office because he posed a constitutional threat to the president's quest to secure another term in office. What started as peaceful protests over the action against Justice Chaudhry quickly became a nationwide protest movement against the government, presenting the most serious challenge to Musharraf's authority since he seized power in a coup in 1999. The government blamed live television coverage of protest rallies for fueling mass unrest in the country. Broadcasters said they had received specific instructions from the Pakistan Media Regulating Authority not to show rallies in support of the suspended chief justice, which had drawn huge crowds across the country. No television coverage was permitted of the biggest anti-Musharraf rally yet. More than 50,000 people attended an opposition rally on June 2 in the northern garrison town of Abbotabad, which also houses the Pakistan Military Academy. Last week Musharraf secured a pledge of support from top army commanders. A statement issued after a commanders' meeting in Rawalpindi on June 1 declared that the army was committed to helping Musharraf build "a progressive, moderate Islamic state." Many political observers, however, believe that a period of prolonged instability could open up the possibility of army intervention. The military has benefited greatly from the current regime, but such is the mass anger against Musharraf that they may come to believe that he could prove a liability for the military establishment as a whole.