Islamabad: Pakistani journalists accused the state media regulator yesterday of trying to restrict their coverage of January elections after it ordered TV networks to stop live broadcasts and threatened them with three-year jail terms.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, or PFUJ, condemned Tuesday's letter, which also warned that satellite TV channels could be taken off the air and face fines of up to Rs10 million (Dh623,900).
A PFUJ statement called that "an attempt to silence the free media". The move adds to concerns over whether the January 8 vote, meant to restore democracy after eight years of military-dominated rule under President Pervez Musharraf, can be free and fair.
When Musharraf imposed emergency rule on November 3, he rounded up opponents, purged top judges who could have scuppered his re-election and imposed draconian curbs on the independent media - drawing a storm of criticism at home and abroad but succeeding in getting some of his critics off the air.
Defamatory
The government outlawed live coverage of incidents of violence and anything considered defamatory of the president, armed forces and state organs. It also made independent networks, which have mushroomed under Musharraf's rule, sign a "code of conduct" so they could broadcast again.
The letter from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, addressed to "all satellite TV channels", said some were still "airing live coverage".
