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Musharraf apologises for attack on TV channel
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Lahore: Pakistani police officials on Friday entered the offices of a private news channel Geo TV and assaulted journalists for showing images of security officials beating up people protesting against the sacking of the country’s Chief Justice.
Several dozen policemen carrying batons and shields entered Geo TV and allegedly lobbed teargas shells inside the newsroom. They damaged computers, equipment and cut the channel's Internet connection and broke windowpanes, said Geo TV journalists.
The true face of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s government being revealed as Islamabad's police went on the rampage.
After the devastating incident, Musharraf personally apologised for the raid by riot police on the Geo channel.
“I regret the attack on Geo TV by the police. I condemn it. I would like to assure the nation that one of the main strength of my reform efforts is freedom of the press and media is my mandate. Protecting human rights is also my mandate. I condemn any violation of these freedoms,” Musharraf said.
The smashed window panes, computers and other equipment damaged a reminder of the attack - the provocation - the channel's coverage of the agitation by lawyers against the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary.
The Geo office is near Parliament and the Supreme Court, where a judicial council is hearing charges against the sacked judge. The Pakistan Interior Minister had assured the channel that it was committed to press freedom.
Geo TV Bureau Chief Hamid Mir said, “More police entered through the main door. They broke the glass and tried to enter the news room. I blocked the door but the police dragged me away.”
Ever since Geo television telecast these pictures of the chief justice being assaulted two days ago, the channel has been blacked out in Pakistan leading to widespread condemnation.
“This is not only an attack on freedom of the press but an attack on freedom of the people. Your campaign was a fight for integrity and they have tried to smash that,” said one eyewitness.
For Musharraf, the pictures of the attack beamed across the world could not have come at a worse time.
Already under attack from a combined opposition and lawyers, now the media is threatening to go on the offensive and while Musharraf's government has insisted that no orders were given to the police to attack Geo TV, its clear that the Pakistan president is rapidly losing support across the country and could now come under increasing pressure in the days ahead.
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