NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below with this appeal. Thank you.]
PAKISTAN: Repression on free media and freedom of expression; discrimination; un-rule of law
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Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wants to inform you regarding a discriminatory close down of the The Mast FM 103 radio station at Balakot, North West Frontier Province by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) on 23 August 2006. It is believed that the PEMRA’s action is due to the Mast FM 103’s criticism on the alleged misuse of funds and corruption in the rehabilitation programmes carried out by the government agencies in the earthquake affected area.
The Mast FM 103 has five radio stations in Pakistan. After a destructive earthquake occurred on 8 October 2005 that affected northern parts of the country and Pakistani held Kashmir, the radio station management decided to start broadcasting from quake hit areas and obtained temporary permission for this from the PEMRA on 8 November 2005. The Mast FM 103’s radio station at Balakot, North West Frontier Province (NWFP) was operated purely on a non-commercial basis and had been set up by an investment of Rs. 8 million (USD 125,000). This was Mast FM 103 Radio Network’s contribution towards assisting with the national tragedy. Balakot was the worst hit area during the earthquake where more than 30,000 people were killed and were most of the international organisations were working.
PEMRA sent a letter dated 12 August 2006 to the Mast FM 103 management instructing it to close down the operation of the Balakot radio station due to the reason that its broadcast licence expired on August 7. The Director of the Mast FM 103 then sent a letter to PEMRA on August 15 requesting the renewal of the licence. However, PEMRA rejected the renewal request and ordered an immediate stop of the radio station’s transmission on August 23. No reason for the refusal was given by PEMRA. However, it is strange to note that PEMRA has extended the temporary broadcasting licenses of all the other seven FM radio stations operating in the earthquake stricken area.
PEMRA’s cancellation of the concerned radio station is believed to be due to the station’s criticism of the alleged misuse of funds and corruption in the rehabilitation programmes carried out by the government agencies, especially the Earthquake Relief and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA).
The management of Mast FM 103 and the chairman of the Association of Independent Radios (AIR) were reportedly told by the officials that the aforementioned government agencies were not happy with the Mast FM 103’s criticism of their performance and pressured PEMRA not to renew its license.
Upon hearing of the cancellation of Mast FM 103’s temporary licence to operate at Balakot, the people in the earthquake hit areas have been holding almost daily protests against the government action. Meanwhile, Mast FM 103 appealed to PEMRA that the cancellation of its Balakot radio station’s broadcast license is discriminatory and again requested it to renew the license.
Prior to this incident, in 2004, two stations of the Mast FM103 stationed in Lahore, the capital city of Punjab province and Karachi, the capital city of Sindh province, were ransacked by the rangers and officials from PEMRA, who confiscated machines and equipment including the BBC’s transmission lines and also arrested the broadcasters. The station management later got relief from courts regarding this matter.
ADDITIONAL COMMENT:
PEMRA’s action against the Mast FM 103 is in violation of Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan that guarantees the freedom of speech, expression and the press. However in Pakistan, journalists who are outspoken against the government have been subjected to arbitrary arrest and detention, forced disappearances and extra-judicial killings. Moreover, the government abuses its legal authority to suppress the free media. Some examples of those cases that the AHRC has recently documented are as follows:
UG-019-2006: PAKISTAN: Government’s inaction regarding a series of attack on journalists
UA-255-2006: PAKISTAN: Journalist shot and injured by unknown persons and then arbitrarily arrested on charges of kidnapping
UA-200-2006: PAKISTAN: Media personnel continue to be tortured and assaulted
UA-144-2006: PAKISTAN: Government shuts down websites in an effort to suppress news on Balochistan
UA-145-2006: PAKISTAN: Journalists to stage protest over rights of those in the media
UP-127-2006: PAKISTAN: Missing journalist found dead in Pakistan
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the relevant government authorities listed below and express your concern about this serious case. Please urge them to ensure the renewal of the broadcast license of the Mast FM 103 station at Balakot and stop the repression of the free media and journalists in the country.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ___________,
PAKISTAN: A radio station was discriminatorily closed down by the government
I am writing to bring your urgent attention the discriminatory closedown of the Mast FM 103 radio station at Balakot, North West Frontier Province (NWFP) by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA). PEMRA’s action against the Mast FM 103 station is in violation of Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan that guarantees the freedom of speech, expression and the press.
According to the information I have received, PEMRA refused the renewal of the temporary broadcast license of the concerned radio station at Balakot, the most seriously hit area during the earthquake in October 2005, and cancelled its license on 23 August 2006. No reason was given to the station administration regarding this matter. I think it is a clear discriminatory action against the concerned radio station considering the fact that the broadcast license of all other seven FM radio stations operating in the earthquake stricken area have been renewed by PEMRA.
PEMRA’s action is believed due to the Mast FM 103’s criticism on the alleged misuse of funds and corruption in the rehabilitation programmes carried out by the government agencies, including the ERRA. I was informed that government officials allegedly told the radio station management that the cancellation of the license of its Balakot station is due to the Mast FM 103’s criticism on the performance of the government relief agencies. Mast FM 103 appealed to PEMRA that the cancellation of its Balakot radio station’s broadcast license is discriminatory and again requested it to renew the license.
As far as I aware, this is not the government’s first repression against the Mast FM 103. In 2004, two stations of the Mast FM103 stationing in Lahore, the capital city of Punjab province and Karachi, the capital city of Sindh province, were ransacked by the rangers and officials from the PEMRA, who confiscated the machines and equipment of the Mast FM 103 including the BBC’s transmission lines and arrested the broadcasters.
I strongly urge you to take immediate action to ensure the renewal of the broadcast license of the concerned radio station without delay. PEMRA’s action against Mast FM 103 not only violates the freedom of the media but also fundamental rights of Pakistan citizens who have a right to access information relating to public interest. I also request you to inquire the actual circumstances of the incident and take action against those responsible, especially if it is proven that any government officials or agencies wrongly influenced the license cancellation of the Mast FM 103 station.
Lastly, I strongly urge the Pakistan government to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and strictly implement it into domestic level without further delay. It is shameful to see that Pakistan, the member of the newly established UN Human Rights Council, has a very poor record of the ratification of the major international conventions. It must fulfil its primary responsibility to protect and uphold human rights for its citizens.
Yours truly,
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER TO:
1. Mr. Iftikhar Rashid
Chairperson
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority
Green Trust Tower, 6th Floor, Jinnah Avenue,
Blue Area, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Tel: 0092-051-9222320/26/32/40/42/43/45/50/51/52/56
Fax: 0092-051-9207419
E-mail: ctv@pemra.gov.pk, info@pemra.gov.pk
2. General Pervez Musharraf
President
President’s Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1422, 4768/ 920 1893 or 1835
E-mail: (please see – <http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/WTPresidentMessage.aspx>http://www.presidentofpakistan.gov.pk/WTPresidentMessage.aspx)
3. Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar
Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights
S Block
Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 920 2628
E-Mail: minister@molaw.gov.pk
4. Joint Secretary for Law, Justice and Human Rights
S Block,
Pakistan Secretariat,
Islamabad,
PAKISTAN
Tel: + 92 51 920 2819
Fax: + 92 51 920 3119
5. Mr. Akram Khan Durrani
Chief Minister of NWFP
Chief Minister’s office
Peshawar
PAKISTAN
Tel: +92 91 9211719
Fax: +92 91-9210707
6. Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
c/o J Deriviero
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9177
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION)
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
