Musharraf Rescinds Media Regulations After Public Outcry

MUSHARRAF RESCINDS MEDIA REGULATIONS AFTER PUBLIC OUTCRY
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Carlotta Gall]
Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, has formally withdrawn his decree that imposed new regulations on the news media, government officials said over the weekend. The president made his decision after he met with industry leaders, and after journalists and opposition parties strongly protested the decree, officials said. The independent media channels agreed to prepare a code of conduct to be incorporated into government media regulations, the state news organization reported. The formal withdrawal came after Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, and his information minister, Muhammad Ali Durrani, said last week that the ordinance had been suspended pending discussions. Commercial television channels, whose numbers have grown during General Musharraf’s rule, have been pressured in recent weeks to stop live coverage of events and live political talk shows, and have had their cable transmissions blocked.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/world/asia/11pakistan.html
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