Geo Back on Pakistani TV

In case you missed it in yesterday’s NY Times, the controversial cable news channel Geo is back on in Pakistan some 2 1/2 months since President Musharraf shut it down. Several TV networks were iced–as was all independent media–when Musharraf issued his state of emergency Nov. 3. Nearly all returned to the air after signing a "code of conduct" essentially promising not to shake things up; Geo–known for its hard-hitting criticism of the Musharraf administration–declined to sign and stayed dark until this week. 

Writes Salman Masood: 
Geo executives did not comment on any specifics of the negotiations. The network said in a statement that “many issues have been resolved between the two parties, but some are still left and it is hoped that they would be resolved very soon.”

In an interview on Monday evening, Mir Ibrahim Rahman, the chief executive of Geo, said the network had “resumed its broadcast with a message of tolerance.”

It’s not known if Geo officials signed the code to get back on the air. It’s believed that Musharraf gave Geo the green light to appease his Western counterparts, as the president was setting out on an eight-day Europe visit. 

The relaunched Geo is without two particularly provocative political talk shows.