Pakistan's Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Wednesday condemned a new warning to stop live television broadcasts, saying the ban was aimed at silencing non-official media before next month's elections.
Private networks on Tuesday were threatened with jail terms as well as a five million rupee (82,000 dollar) fine for any live programmes - including everything from call-in chat shows to on-the-scene reporting of breaking news.
The warning, issued in a letter from the Pemra, is an attempt to muzzle any media not controlled by the government, said Mazhar Abbas, head of the Federal Union of Journalists.
"The letter attempts to put pressure on channels which have already started their election coverage, including live coverage of press conferences of opposition and government parties," he said in a statement. President Pervez Musharraf imposed a controversial state of emergency last month. On the same night, he expanded curbs on private TV channels and took them off of cable networks for several weeks.
The regulator, known as Pemra, said in its letter that there was "great concern" over the fact that some networks were still carrying live broadcasts with phone calls from viewers despite those stricter curbs. "These calls from the public contain baseless propaganda against Pakistan and incite people to violence," it said, calling the broadcasts a "gross violation" of the restrictions.
Journalists across Pakistan have been protesting the curbs almost daily and the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Wednesday also condemned the move.
"The IFJ condemns a threat by the Pemra to ban live television reports about Pakistan's national elections and to impose penalties on journalists if they do not comply," it said.
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