Dr. Shahid faces life threats by Asif Zardari
By guestwriter at 24 November, 2009, 5:27 am
By Sabahat Ghazal Dr Shahid faces life threats; Geo programme to be telecast from another location; bar widely condemned
Under immense pressure from President Asif Ali Zardari on the Dubai government, ‘Meray Mutabiq’, the popular programme of Dr Shahid Masood on Geo TV, was banned from being telecast on Monday night from the Dubai studios of Geo TV.
Dr Masood presented his programme from a different location without the use of his studio and technical facilities and announced that he had been stopped by the local authorities from presenting his programme.
The popular talk show host also disclosed that he had received serious life threats from PPP leaders who had told him to come to Pakistan and conduct his programme from this country and then “we will see you”.
In an exact replay of the Musharraf era, the use of influence and pressure on a foreign government by the president of Pakistan is a direct attack on the freedom of the press in Pakistan, the Geo TV management said in a statement on Monday night.
It announced that the programme will still be telecast from a different location, as was done on Monday night.The management of Geo TV condemned the action of the Pakistani authorities to use the influence of a foreign government to deny freedom of expression and the Press.
Monday night’s programme of Dr Shahid Masood featured Group Editor of The News Shaheen Sehbai and Editor Investigations of The News Ansar Abbasi, who condemned the action, and with one voice declared that the action would not force Geo TV to succumb to government pressure.
Shaheen Sehbai expressed shock and regret and said the action showed that the PPP leaders had pushed the panic button in desperation otherwise there was no reason why they could not tolerate the voice of any journalist or any TV talk show host.
Sehbai said the action by the PPP rulers was a direct negation of democracy and freedom of speech and would be resisted by all democracy and freedom loving people in Pakistan and round the world. In today’s world of instant communications, Internet, U-Tube, SMS, emails, Twitter and private phone-videos, such a ban was nothing but sheer stupidity.
Journalist Ansar Abbasi said the journalists community had fought similar bans throughout their careers, specially under dictators, and they had always won and they will again win this time. But he said the regrettable part was that the curbs had been imposed by a government which called itself democratically elected.
Dr Shahid Masood in his statement revealed that he had been receiving threats to his life and the banning of his show in Dubai was a clear proof of the desperation and panic in the government. He, however, expressed his determination to continue speaking the truth and exposing the corruption and wrongdoings of the government, without fear.
Geo TV has always raised issues of public importance and had been in the vanguard of the movement for the restoration of the judges, against corruption of public money and for democracy and rule of law.
These issues had resulted in a similar ban imposed by the former dictator General Musharraf for three months after the imposition of the Nov 3 emergency but Geo TV and its journalists and TV hosts stood their ground and finally saw the dictator disappear into the dustbin of history.
The government action against Geo TV programme was immediately condemned by a wide spectrum of political leaders, media organisations and human rights bodies. Spokesman of the PML-N Ahsan Iqbal said it was an attack on the democratic freedom guaranteed under the Constitution and his party strongly condemned it. Chairman of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission Iqbal Haider called it a crude attack on all democratic norms and a violation of constitution which will be fought with full force.
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zardari ki mout aa ye hui hai, ab ye aakhri sansain ley raha hai. baqi tabsra bawa g ka par laina boht hai.
I lost interest in Dr.shahid Masood programs some times ago.
However, this does not mean a valid excuse to stop him.
There are other programs, which are repelling Dr. SM’s view constantly e..g., “Coloumn Kar” of express. Similarly there are many others with more balanced views.
WE ARE STANDING WITH YOU SIR TILL OUR LAST BREATH
we will won INSHALLAH
we will make them alter their ferocious decision.
ALLAH BLESS YOU
Musharaf era revisted….
This will not carry on…. This Government is its own enemy and time will tell how incompetent this Gov was.
Having said that Shahid Massod sometime goes overboard with his allegations against the Gov. Like last weekend or two ago he was telling his viewers that Zardari days a numbered and it is the matter of a day or two… BUT that daako Zardari is still sitting where he was. So, Pakistani media should not become too emotionally attached with the events and must not spread rumors without any authencity.
Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar on Monday said the military headquarters was not conspiring against the government as the chief of the Army staff (COAS) wants stability of the democratic system.
“General Kayani is a patriot and he does not wish to destabilise the system and wants Pakistan to prosper,” the defence minister said while responding to a question at a press conference.
When asked whether the Army chief sought permissionfrom him before meeting the leader of the opposition, he said: “The Army chief took permission from President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani before meeting Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.”
Answering another question about the capability of JF-17 aircraft to shoot down drones, he said the newly-inducted aircraft into the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had the capability to hit drones.
“A drone flies at a height of 52,000 feet but if a JF-17 aircraft follows it, it can hit the drone with a missile,” he said. He observed that the JF-17 aircraft would be the backbone of the PAF and more aircraft would be produced.
Ahmed Mukhtar also clarified his position on the inclusion of his name in the list of NRO beneficiaries, saying he would quit if it were proved that he had taken any benefit from this ordinance. “I am not the beneficiary but victim of the NRO,” he said.
Taking strong exception to the inclusion of his name in the NRO beneficiaries list released by the Law Ministry, Ahmad Mukhtar sought an unqualified apology from them, saying that otherwise his legal advisers reserved the right to take action against all those responsible for initiating this defamatory and slanderous campaign against him.
He said he also met the prime minister and the law minister on Monday on this issue. He said the prime minister told him that there should be a mechanism which could be applied to exclude names which had wrongly been included in the list.
He said that a particular media group was active against him and the same group had constantly been made the government a target of its criticism. The minister said that no sugar case had ever been registered against him while he had already been acquitted in two NAB cases.
He said in the case at the Lahore’s Accountability Court No 1 pertaining to the ‘Textile Export Quota’, he was acquitted of charges on September 9, 2007. He said in this case, no irregularity or illegality, no misuse of power as the commerce minister was proved on record.
In the case, in which he was accused of selling rice at much lesser price, causing a loss of Rs 67,801,335 million to the national exchequer, the former commerce minister and now the defence minister said the accountability court acquitted him on March 18, 2002. An appeal against his acquittal was dismissed by the Sindh High Court, Karachi, on August 7, 2007.
Ahmad Mukhtar said he came to know about the sugar inquiry, thanks to the press conference of the minister of state for law, saying it was a bogus case which was under inquiry for the last 14 years. “How can I be a beneficiary of the NRO on the basis of a pending inquiry about which I have no knowledge,” he questioned.
He said that he would tender resignation even if the sugar quota case is pending against him in the court of law. Asked if he would advise President Zardari to resign, since he was the main beneficiary of the NRO, Ahmad Mukhtar said: “I cannot force anybody to step down.”
He said the real beneficiaries are the NAB and the Law Ministry who failed to scrutinize and close such bogus cases. He pointed that the NAB law provides maximum 90 days for a remand and after that a NAB case is to be decided within 30 days.
Responding to a question on the Kerry-Lugar Bill, the minister said: “I personally feel some harsh language has been used in the text of the bill,” he said.
APP adds: Ahmad Mukhtar said the PPP government was facing no threat to its existence while steps are in hand to help PIA in overcoming its financial crunch.
He told another questioner that since the matter of corruption in the submarine deal with France had already been probed by the NAB thus there was hardly any need left to conduct another enquiry into the scam.
Assalam-o-Alekum
This is the age of media; its my request to all journalists and
writers that please show better side of Pakistan, be positive, think
positive & help the world to think positive about Pakistan,
Be optimistic & make our nation optimistic. You have the power. The
greatest power of the world is PEN.
Thanks & Regards
Muhammad Minhaj Rais
Karachi.
Certain pseudo journalists such as Dr. Shahid Masood are being fed by the anti- Pakistan elements and pro- Taliban forces to destabilize democracy in Pakistan. Everyone knows the reality of these journalists constantly propagating against democratic Govt and spreading chaos among masses. Like some bonapartist parties, there are also some journalists which are supporter of right wing of extremists and Dr. Meray Mutabiq is leading them. The whole campaign against Zardari aims to divert the attention of the Govt from ongoing war on terrorism. It is most dangerous for Pakistan that this faction of journalists willingly or unwillingly a part of the conspiracy to break Pakistan. Regarding the past of Mr. Mery Mutabiq I the less said the better as he still owes a hefty amount of Rs 5 milliuon to PTV.
Will Pakistanis ever change, NO not atleast in the next 500 years. 500 years if their education is made more inclusive and secular then probably children born after 500 years are sanitised of the islamic fanaticism and start to accept others, jews, hindus, christians, buddhists etc., as humans.
Obviously i am sad i cannot see this happening in my life time.
Dr. Shahid Masood is a liar, big assole, I don’t believe in what he says or writes, a blackmailer
mjhe hairat he mutram Imran sahab ke November 24, 2009 coments per… aray bhai kisi naik kam me jan do apne fuzool q de rahay ho? rahi baat media ki toh ye journalist saray kameenay hain, my family is also a victim of these journalists…
ye paiso ki khatir nech se nech harkat ker saktay hain…. bajae ke mulk ki awam ko courage dain ye is mulk ko naakam tareen mulk show kerne ke chaker me hain…
GEO ki toh baat hi alag he, ye toh chahtay hain ke govt total in ki marzi pe chalay, keh rahay hain zardari pe joota phenka gaya, its amazing is ki na koi vedio clip he na us shakhs ka koi ata pata he aur na koi mukhaalifeen ke naaray nazar arahay hain per GEO walay shayad apni anna me andhay hogay hain n unhe ye chezain nazer arahi hain… me kisi ki side nai leraha hun bus itna kehna chahta hun ke chanals apne hi mulk ko khuwar ker rahay hain….