Besieged by Protests, Pakistan Suspends Curbs on TV - New York Times

Besieged by Protests, Pakistan Suspends Curbs on TV - New York Times: "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 8 — After a barrage of criticism and nationwide protests by journalists and rights groups, the Pakistani government has suspended its restrictions on independent television stations.

The restrictions, which had been approved by the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, on Monday, gave the government sweeping powers to cancel licenses of independent television channels, seal buildings where it believed that illegal broadcasts were being shown and increased the fines for many violations. The move touched off angry but peaceful protests by thousands of lawyers, opposition activists and journalists across the country.

Critical media coverage of the legal and political crisis that has erupted in the country since General Musharraf suspended the nation’s chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, on March 9 appeared to have led to the media curbs.

On Wednesday, the prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, met with news media representatives and announced the formation of a six-member committee to review the amendments. It is composed of media representatives and government officials." Read complete post here.