Dubai orders GEO TV out

[SAT-WORLD]

Geo TV is based in Dubai but targets viewers in Pakistan. The Dubai municipality has revoked the visa permits for all of Geo TV’s staff and ordered them out of the Emirate within 48 hours, effective June 12.

Geo TV boss Imran Aslam told Reporters Without Borders that the Dubai authorities had informed him that the station would lose its licence if Capital Talk, a show hosted by Hamid Mir, and Meray Mutabek, hosted by Dr Shahid Masood, were not taken off the air. “The order is inexplicable,” Geo sources told local journalists.

Geo TV, which is extremely popular in Pakistan, on Friday said: “President Pervez Musharraf has once again started to press hard to stop transmission of Geo News channel in what appears to be a bid to prevent the channel from supporting the lawyers’ movement [which seeks democratic elections].”

On Sunday officials from the station said they might relocate to London or Hong Kong.

Officials at Dubai Media City, where the Geo TV group is based, reportedly said the programmes threatened UAE’s relations with a friendly country. Pakistan’s Information Minister Sherry Rehman said her government was not involved in the decision. Reporters Without Borders and the International Federation of Journalists called on the governments of Pakistan and UAE to explain how Geo News was forced to drop two very popular talk shows under threat of losing its licence to operate in Dubai.

This is not the first time that Geo TV has had problems with Dubai. Back in November and December last year the channel was forced off the air after the imposition of emergency rule in Pakistan itself.

Source:Rapid Tv News