Pakistan's Geo TV, which is critical of the military, has reportedly been taken off air in many parts of the country. Analysts say that cable operators are being forced to suspend the channel on orders of the military.
Pakistan's Geo TV officials say the suspension of its transmission in many parts of the country is an attempt to force the media organization into submission.
While other major private news channels are critical of Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was disqualified by the Supreme Court on corruption allegations in June last year, Geo TV is known for a pro-Sharif stance.
Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the incumbent government did not order the suspension of the channel, but he failed to explain why the channel faces a blackout across the country.
"Pakistan's constitution and law[s] guarantee the fundamental right of access to information to the citizens of Pakistan," a statement reads on Geo TV's website.
"The Jang Group requests its viewers/readers that if they cannot watch Geo News on their TV screens or if our channels have somehow been shifted from their original numbers, or if they are deprived of receiving their copies of Daily Jang or/and The News, they can lodge complaints…" the statement added.
In the past, both Geo TV and its mother organization, Jang media group, were close to the South Asian country's powerful security establishment, but the channel has become increasingly critical of the military in the past few years.
In 2008, Geo TV infuriated the security establishment by broadcasting an investigative report about Ajmal Kasab, one of the militants that carried out the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. The channel was the first to claim that Kasab belonged to Pakistan.
Also, Pakistan's mainstream media is generally very cautious while reporting about the military's control over domestic and foreign policies and its alleged support to some proxy Islamist groups in the region. Geo TV, one of Pakistan's most viewed channels, has steadily sided with the political forces that are trying to assert themselves against the military's hegemony.
For example, Geo TV's coverage of Sharif is more sympathetic than other news channels, who experts say toe the military's line. Sharif, analysts say, demands more powers for the civilian administration and better ties with India and the United States.
"Geo TV is backing Sharif's narrative that could help the former premier in upcoming polls this year. The channel is also hard on Imran Khan [leader of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party], who is allegedly backed by the military. The channel's reporting style, therefore, is unacceptable for those who want Sharif's political power reduced," Ahsan Raza, a Lahore-based analyst, told DW.
Tauseef Ahmed Khan, a Karachi-based political analyst, shares the same opinion: "Barring a few English newspapers and the Jang group, most media organizations have taken a pro-military stance and are very critical of Sharif. The military establishment fears that Sharif could still win the upcoming general elections and Geo TV is promoting his agenda. This, in my opinion, is a reason behind the channel's suspension."
Imran Aslam, president of Geo TV Network, says there has been no official confirmation of the channel's suspension but the transmission disruptions are countrywide. "It is an assault on the freedom of expression," Aslam told DW, adding that the gagging amounts to an attempted "pre poll-rigging."
"It is imperative to allow freedom of the press before an election to ensure that the voting is free and fair. We do fear that our transmission is being disrupted in order to strangle the channel financially and make it more pliant and obedient," Aslam added.
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Press freedom
Pakistan's media regulatory authority (PEMRA) has taken notice of the Geo TV suspension and clarified that it "has not issued orders to close down any channel or change its position."
"The shutting down of any licensed channel is the violation of PEMRA laws. The authority has suspended the licenses of [cable operators] Wateen Multimedia Lahore, World Call Cable, Lahore and Karachi, warning if Geo's channels were not restored, their licenses would be cancelled," the statement said.
Civil society groups in Pakistan say the freedom of press in the country is increasingly at risk, with the civilian government also using its power to muzzle the opposition's viewpoint. On the other hand, hardline Islamic groups also threaten journalists and media organizations against secular reporting.
Terrorism and Islamism are the most dangerous issues for Pakistani journalists to report on, according to the South Asian Free Media Association.
Some political commentators say the claims that the military establishment is behind Geo TV's suspension are baseless.
"If the military's intelligence agencies are threatening cable operators and forcing them to suspend Geo TV's transmission, then why aren't these cable companies coming forward with such claims?" said Amjad Shoaib, a retired military officer and defense analyst.
"Such allegations are aimed at denting the image of the Pakistani army at an international level," Shoaib told DW, adding that the military has nothing to do with politics.
What's freedom of speech like in your country? We asked media experts from more than 100 nations attending this year's Global Media Forum. It's part of a DW campaign calling attention to jailed bloggers around the world.
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Shammi Haque, blogger, Bangladesh
"People in Bangladesh can't say what's on their mind. There is no freedom of speech at all and every day the situation is getting worse. I'm a social activist and blogger and my topics include religion. Islamists don't like this. They already killed six bloggers - my friends - so I decided to leave the country. I want to return but I don't know when and if it will be safe."
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Anonymous (for security reasons), Venezuela
"Freedom of speech is a concept that doesn't exist in my country, it would be kryptonite to a dictatorship. Journalists try not to criticize the government to avoid fines and to protect their own lives. Journalists are persecuted if they are critical and many journalists have left the country. The government owns around 80 percent of the media so social media is the only voice we have now."
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Amukelani Mayimele, youth activist, South Africa
"There is a big debate about freedom of speech in South Africa right now. Freedom of speech still exists, but there is currently an intervention by our national broadcasting association. They are trying to enact new laws of what can and can't be covered."
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Rachid Boukhenfer, journalist, Morocco
"In the last decade there has been more space for freedom of speech in Morocco. It's not something we've simply received, many people had to fight for it. We still need to enlarge it but also make optimum use of the space we already have. In a country that is in the process of becoming democratic, we need to develop as we go, because there is always something standing in the way."
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Binta Coudy Dé, entrepreneur, Senegal
"People in Senegal are not so free to express themselves. If you're not in the political field you have to be careful with what you say. As an entrepreneur, you can't be critical of the government, otherwise you won't get any funding."
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Roman Dobrokhotov and Ekaterina Kuznetsova, journalists, Russia
Roman: "In Russia you're censored by the government at around one million readers. My website is smaller and is registered in Latvia so we can avoid censorship. The only attention we get from the government is occasional attacks on our server." Ekaterina: "Freedom of speech doesn't exist in Russia. In Europe, people are free to criticize politicians. I hope things will change in Russia."
"Freedom of speech has not existed in Syria for ages. In fact, people can't express their opinion about the Assad regime without asking. It's forbidden. They would be killed. If I were to post something critical on social media, I would not be living for very long."
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Ayesha Hasan, journalist, Pakistan
"In Pakistan, 'freedom of press' are three very dangerous words. It might cost you your career or your life. They say, 'with great freedom comes great responsibility.' Well, we have freedom but no responsibility. I even have to watch what I am saying right now. I was almost kidnapped once when reporting, so we had to drop the story. But we have very brave journalists in Pakistan."
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Mohammed Al-Azzani, development worker, Yemen
"In my country, freedom of speech is like a bear locked inside a cage and it needs to be let out. One and a half months ago, a 17-year-old boy was killed because of a Facebook post."
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Rabaa Ben Doukhan, radio journalist, Tunisia
"The only result of our revolution is freedom of speech. We are free to criticize our government now. When I ask others in the region about freedom of speech in their home countries, the difference is huge. People in Tunisia do speak out. There are many difficulties like corruption in my country, but thankfully, freedom of speech is not one of them anymore."
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Khushal Asefi, radio manager, Afghanistan
"Freedom of speech is a 'soft gun' in Afghanistan. It's the voice of the people that the government is afraid of. It's challenging but we are at a better level than our neighbors."
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Salim Salim, journalist, Palestine
"There's not a lot of freedom in Palestine for journalists. A big problem is that journalists can't travel freely. They need to complete an application to go here but they can't because Gaza is under siege. Journalists are arrested by Israel and by the Palestinian Authority. If they write an opinion on Facebook, they're arrested by the government. But it's still better than in Syria or Iraq."
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A.N. (full name not revealed for security reasons), TV journalist, Kenya
"We enjoy quite a bit of freedom of speech in Kenya, but there are hefty fines for defamatory statements against the government. You can't air your opinion of a leader without your impartiality as a journalist being called into question - even if you think what they're doing is wrong. That's too bad."
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Ananya Azad, blogger, Bangladesh
"In my country there is no freedom of speech. You can't say anything about Islam or criticize the government. Islamic fundamentalists have declared that if anyone criticizes Islam, they'll be killed. I'm a journalist and I was threatened by Islamist terrorists myself last year. They declared that I will be their next target and uploaded my photo on a hitlist, so I had to flee my country."
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Boureima Salouka, sustainable development consultant, Burkina Faso
"In my country we are free but we fight for our freedom. We pushed out our dictator and now we are free to express ourselves. But you have to work for your freedom. Freedom is a constant struggle."
