Plea in LHC urges court to stop sit-in outside ISI office

A petition was today filed in a court here urging it to stop the Jang/Geo media group from holding a sit-in outside the headquarters of Pakistan's spy agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in Islamabad.
The Jang/Geo media group had recently announced its employees and their families would hold sit-in outside the ISI offices if the parliament did not help it restore its channel which it claims is off air in most parts of the country.
The media group has also alleged through its publications that "some ISI officials" are involved in Geo News closure. It said it had been facing severe financial crunch and might not be able to pay salaries to its employees in coming months.

Advocate Aftab Virk filed the petition in the Lahore High Court. He argued the Jang/Geo media group's proposed sit-in outside the ISI offices would earn bad name for the country and its premier intelligence agency.
He said the media group's announcement was against the security and integrity of the country and it should be stopped from its 'anti-country' step.
The petitioner made Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Jan/Geo owners Mir Shakilur Rehman and Mir Ibrahim, and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority respondents.

LHC Justice Mamoon Rashid heard the petitioner's arguments and asked the deputy attorney general to assist the court in this regard.

The court adjourned the case till tomorrow.
It is pertinent to mention that tussle between the Jang/Geo media group and ISI began four months ago following a gun attack on Geo News program host Hamid Mir in Karachi.
Hamid Mir accused ISI chief Lt Gen Zahirul Islam of planning the attack.
The Geo News broadcast Amir's allegation against the ISI chief throughout the day on the day of incident.
Hamid Mir has survived and again started his talk show on Geo News.
Following the issue, the PEMRA suspended the license of the Geo News for 15 days and imposed Rs10 million fine on it.

However, PAMRA failed to ensure its restoration fully as it complained the cable operators were taking orders from someone else (ISI) in this respect.