RSF firmly condemns a crackdown by the security forces on the
privately-owned news media. Dozens of journalists have been detained,
attacked or prevented from working. Transmission equipment has been seized
from several broadcast media. New regulations on newspapers and broadcast
media promulgated on 3 November 2007 are a death warrant for some of the
privately-owned TV and radio news stations that emerged in recent years.

On 5 November, police tried to close down the printing works of the Jang
media group in the southern city of Karachi. Staff refused to stop the
printing of one of the group's newspapers, "Awam" (People), which had a
supplement on events since the state of emergency was proclaimed. This
attempt to censor Awam was thwarted by the actions of the group's
management and employees.

Around the same time, police arrested at least five photographers and a
cameraman as they were covering a demonstration by human rights activists
outside the Karachi Press Club. A BBC correspondent was also arrested
yesterday near the home of a Karachi judge as he was trying to take photos.
The police erased the shots he had taken. And in Quetta, a police officer
smashed an Agence France-Presse reporter's camera as he was covering a
demonstration.

On 4 November the police went to the offices of Aaj television station in
Islamabad and tried to seize transmission equipment and a truck used for
live outside broadcasts. The police also surrounded the studios of radio
station FM 99.

Sattar Kakar, the privately-owned ARY television's bureau chief in the
southwestern city of Quetta, and his cameraman were held for several hours
on 3 November. The next day, the security forces searched ARY's offices in
the southern city of Sukkur, arresting the bureau chief's two brothers and
threatening employees.

Before the state of emergency was proclaimed, Pakistan Electronic Media
Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) members raided the studios of radio station FM
103 in Islamabad on 3 November. At the behest of Rana Altaf, a PEMRA
official, some 30 policemen surrounded the station and confiscated
broadcast equipment.

"For the past three days, Gen. Pervez Musharraf has been destroying all the
press freedom gains, one by one," the organisation said. "Pakistan's media,
especially privately-owned TV, radio stations and independent newspapers,
are in danger of losing any possibility of disseminating independent news
as a result of the military offensive."

RSF added: "We support demonstrations by journalists' unions and news media
calling for an end to the crackdown on the press and the state of
emergency. The international community must not remain indifferent to this
programmed murder of Pakistan's media."

After declaring a state of emergency, Gen. Musharraf modified the 2002
Press, Newspapers, News Agencies and Books Registration Ordinance and the
2002 Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Ordinance.

According to the copies of the amendments obtained by RSF:
- all the media are now forbidden to broadcast video footage of suicide
bombers or terrorists, or statements by militants and extremists;
- express opinions prejudicial to the ideology, sovereignty, integrity or
security of Pakistan;
- incite violence or hatred or any action prejudicial to maintenance of law
and order;
- broadcast anything that brings the president, armed forces or state
institutions into ridicule;
- refer to any matter that is sub-judice;
- broadcast anything that could be false or baseless.

If the new regulations are violated, the government is given full powers to
seize newspapers, while the PEMRA is given similar powers to confiscate
equipment from broadcast media. Media owners face up to three years in
prison and a fine of 10 million rupees (approx. US$164,000), or both.
Pakistani radio and television stations are also banned from signing
broadcast agreements with foreign news media without PEMRA's permission,
while cable operators and distributors can be sentenced to up to a year in
prison for breaking the new rules.

Under national and international pressure, the government had to abandon
its plans to tighten the rules for the broadcast media last June, but the
repressive changes have been forced through this time.