Journalist Committee Rips Musharraf

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has blasted Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf for yanking the independent broadcaster Aaj TV from the air for 12 hours. According to the CPJ Website, "satellite transmissions of Aaj were shut down Wednesday after a prominent critic of the Musharraf government, Nusrat Javed, appeared on a late-night political talk show." The station was shut down midway through the program yesterday, and returned to the air today. 

According to CPJ, a spokesman from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority told the AP the block had never occurred. 

Musharraf has of course cracked down on Pakistani television in the past when he deemed it overly critical of his presidency.