Employees, viewers demand immediate restoration of 24NewsHD channel

On the 59th day of its closure, the viewers and employees of 24NewsHD TV Channel have urged the federal government to immediately restore the transmission of the channel.

The local and international journalist community, politicians and people all have strongly condemned the closure of the 24NewsHD and termed it an attack on the freedom of speech and media.

The government’s action has put at risk the livelihoods of near 1000 employees of the channel at a time when already the economy of the country is struggling and the unemployment rate is at the rise.

The employees of the 24News Channel have asked the government to take back the decision to put a ban on the TV channel and stop harassing the media to bring them in line with their wishes.

They said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was a great champion of freedom of press and media when he was in the opposition but now under his government, the whole media industry was struggling for its survival and he should honour his promise of media freedom rather than strangulating the voice of the media.

They appealed to the PM to save their livelihoods instead of leaving them in a lurch and further worsen the lives of the people who are already miserable under the ballooning inflation rate in the country.

Journalists all over the country have staged a number of demonstrations against the suspension of 24news transmission.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) have also vehemently condemned the suspension and demanded Pakistan authorities resume the channel’s broadcast across all outlets.

The IFJ noted that Pakistani authorities suspended satellite transmission of television channel News24HD from October 19 after it allegedly aired an opposition party political rally on YouTube.

The satellite broadcast of News24HD, a current affairs television channel in Pakistan, was suspended for allegedly airing a Pakistan Democratic Movement rally in Karachi on YouTube and other coverage of the country’s political opposition. Transmission from the network’s satellite channel ceased on October 19. It follows a pattern of media suspensions directed at cable television providers over several months.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), the constitutionally established federal institution responsible for regulating channel licenses for print, broadcast and electronic media, imposed the ban.

PEMRA has jurisdiction to impose reasonable restrictions in the interests of national security, integrity or religion. However, journalist unions and politicians, including Pakistan People’s Party leader, Raza Rabbani, denounced the ban and accused Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government as an enemy of press freedom for increasing pressure on an already suffering media industry.

The PFUJ said: “The shutdown of transmission is tantamount to an embargo on freedom of speech and expression that cannot be tolerated. The media industry is already in turmoil, while the illogical decisions of the PEMRA are adding to the worries of the media men which may lead the media industry to further deterioration.”

The IFJ said: “The harassment directed at News24HD, culminating in this latest suspension shows a clear and direct pattern of intimidation by the authorities. In an already economically challenged media environment, such actions impact the livelihoods of hundreds of media workers. The IFJ condemns the restriction of press freedom and calls for the immediate recommencement of satellite and cable broadcasts.”