Monday, Nov 19, 2007
Gulf News
Dubai: Pakistani news channel ARY One World is expected to be back on air soon as it has "convinced" the Pakistani government to let it operate again after its transmission was blocked by Dubai Media City on Saturday.
"We have negotiated with the Pakistani government and the Dubai Media City, and should expect to be on air [soon]," the CEO of ARY, Salman Iqbal, told Gulf News on Sunday. "The Pakistani government has okayed us."
Iqbal said that ARY had reached no compromise with the Pakistani government, but instead convinced it to allow it to operate again, adding that the channel had not changed its mind on the media code of conduct imposed by the Pakistani government after emergency rule was declared on November 3.
Dubai based ARY and Geo TV networks had refused to sign the code, and transmission for news channels on both networks was stopped on Saturday.
"We had to convince the Pakistani government that we do not have an agenda against it or any other government," said Iqbal.
Dubai Media City officials did not respond to Gulf News request for a comment on the issue.
The president of Geo TV, Imran Eslam, told Gulf News the channel has been given permission to resume five minutes hourly news broadcasts on its entertainment channels that beam to the Middle East, UK and the United States, "but not Pakistan". No decision has been reached on whether or when the news channel, Geo News, will go back on air.
Eslam said that the channel's losses have been tremendous.
Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.