Flow of information halted by media curbs

FLOW OF INFORMATION HALTED BY MEDIA CURBS
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Farhan Bokhari]
Pakistan's vibrant media had its freedoms sharply curbed by President General Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule over the weekend. An amendment to press laws of 2002 barred newspapers and TV channels from printing or broadcasting "anything which defames or brings into ridicule the head of state or members of the armed forces, or executive, legislative or judicial organ of the state". The enforcement of the amendment came after TV news channels were withdrawn from cable providers, leaving local viewers with limited choice ranging from Pakistan Television (PTV), the state-owned channel, to entertainment channels such as HBO, Star TV and sports channels. Land-based phone lines, which were suspended in Islamabad, were yesterday back in use, though transmissions of TV news channels were still suspended. Ordinary Pakistanis did not hide frustration at the curbs.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/bba095a4-8b41-11dc-95f7-0000779fd2ac.html
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