Bump from Bloomberg Asia:"March 16 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistani police ransacked the Islamabad offices of GEO Television in a failed bid to stop the private broadcaster airing Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry's disciplinary hearing.
Police fired tear gas into the newsroom, broke furniture and shattered glass in the building, 500 meters from the Supreme Court where Chaudhry's second hearing is being held. "They tried to get us out of the building and tear gassed us," Hamid Mir, GEO TV's Islamabad bureau chief said. "We received repeated messages from the police to stop our live coverage."
The Supreme Court is determining whether President Pervez Musharraf's action removing Chaudhry from the post last week is lawful. GEO TV has telecast live coverage of the protests and police action in Islamabad today. "This is unjustified and we will hold an inquiry," junior Information Minister Tariq Azeem told reporters outside GEO's office in Islamabad.
Newscast Stopped
The government ordered GEO TV yesterday to stop airing its main daily news program, "AAJ Kamran Khan Key Saath," or "Today With Kamran Khan," according to the News newspaper.
"I never knew that that the government would get so desperate and would lose patience so soon with this free flow of information," Khan said, according to the News. "We never had an agenda, other than providing people the most accurate news and an objective analysis on this most important turning point of our history."
Police fired tear gas into the newsroom, broke furniture and shattered glass in the building, 500 meters from the Supreme Court where Chaudhry's second hearing is being held. "They tried to get us out of the building and tear gassed us," Hamid Mir, GEO TV's Islamabad bureau chief said. "We received repeated messages from the police to stop our live coverage."
The Supreme Court is determining whether President Pervez Musharraf's action removing Chaudhry from the post last week is lawful. GEO TV has telecast live coverage of the protests and police action in Islamabad today. "This is unjustified and we will hold an inquiry," junior Information Minister Tariq Azeem told reporters outside GEO's office in Islamabad.
Newscast Stopped
The government ordered GEO TV yesterday to stop airing its main daily news program, "AAJ Kamran Khan Key Saath," or "Today With Kamran Khan," according to the News newspaper.
"I never knew that that the government would get so desperate and would lose patience so soon with this free flow of information," Khan said, according to the News. "We never had an agenda, other than providing people the most accurate news and an objective analysis on this most important turning point of our history."
President Pervez Musharraf has "taken serious note" of the incident and assured journalists that action would be taken against those responsible, GEO TV reported, citing Information Minister Mohammed Ali Durrani, who said he spoke to the President on the telephone.
I stand stunned as I watch this live and read about it. My only question is why? Is that how all tyrants are; they beat you up, hurt you, abuse you and then tell you not to cry and how sorry they are, and to "walk it off".
"Sorry" is the coolest word in the english language.
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