Can Pakistan silence satellites?
You’ve probably read about Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf’s decision to declare a state of emergency, suspend the constitution, and fire the chief justice of the Supreme Court. You probably have not read about his decision to limit television to state controlled media:
When besieged President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency Nov. 3, suspending civil liberties and the constitution in Pakistan, one of his first targets was the newly independent media, which he helped create and gave unprecedented freedom. Immediately, the government knocked about 40 independent Pakistani TV stations off the air, which has added to concerns that parliamentary elections set for January may not be free and fair.
"It used to be, we’d stay up until late at night, until 3 a.m., watching talk shows and the news," Khan said. "Now we go to sleep at 10 p.m."
The only news channel Khan could find was government-run Pakistan Television, or PTV, and it featured a bland documentary on India and a news ticker saying that Musharraf had explained to President Bush why an emergency was necessary and that Bush praised Musharraf and Pakistan for helping in the war on terrorism.
Since the emergency was declared, the Pakistani government has grown increasingly thin-skinned about any criticism. TV stations were barred from broadcasting anything that ridiculed Musharraf, who also is the country’s army chief. Cable operators were banned from relaying international TV stations. Internet services were restricted.
At times last week it was almost impossible to find out what was really happening in Pakistan as rumors flew that Musharraf had been overthrown in a bloodless military coup.
But it’s not as easy as it used to be for autocrats these days. As media becomes more decentralized, thanks to satellites and the Internet, its becoming very difficult to cut transmissions of independent news reporting.
There is the "problem" of Satcom for Musharraf. Despite authorities blocking sales of satellite dishes in two Pakistani cities, a dish is a hot commodity right now:
…satellite broadcasts are growing as a source of independent news as well. “Sales of satellite dishes have jumped since the weekend,” Agence France-Presse reported, citing several shopkeepers who were interviewed. One dealer said that while he usually gets one or two new orders a week, this week he already had 30.
Signs of a brisk satellite-dish market in Pakistan were also evident on a local blog in Karachi, which reported a $65 jump in price in the past few days. Below the post, a commenter claimed that the price of installation had suddenly increased as well.
Since the dishes can help Pakistanis circumvent the media blackout by picking up signals from sources beyond the government’s control, the latest development should hardly be surprising: CNN is reporting that the government has banned the sale of satellite dishes.
Musharraf may have underestimated the media’s power:
The Pakistani media, so aggressive that fistfights between reporters at demonstrations are not uncommon, haven’t accepted the new rules quietly.
At least two private TV stations have started broadcasting on the Internet, advertising the service by sending text messages to cell phones. Others are smuggling out news to Dubai, where the channels are broadcast to anyone in Pakistan with a satellite dish and the expatriate Pakistani community.
Journalists have started boycotting minor official events, such as news conferences or military ceremonies. They have held protest rallies. Most think the restrictions can’t continue.
"The government is so mad at the media," said Asim Awan, a TV reporter for Dawn News, an English station, who has continued to work even though most people cannot see his reports.
"But I think this is the only country in the world where political talk shows are more popular than soap operas. People miss them very much. I think they’re more upset that they’re missing their talk shows than they are about the emergency."
