ISLAMABAD – Geo TV is facing a partial black out at certain places andrumours of suspension had also surfaced.

However Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal cleared the air on Sundaythat neither Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) nor theMinistry of Information had issued any directives for the suspension ofnews channel Geo News.

Expressing concerns over the suspension of the channel- dubbed No.1 byindependent sources – in certain parts of the country, the minister saidthat only Pemra had the right to suspend the transmission of any channel.

The legislator claimed that the suspension has been brought to the noticeof the Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and a high-level session hasbeen called to discuss the issue.

“If this continues, questions would be raised regarding the transparencyand fairness of General Elections,” remarked the minister.

Meanwhile, the president of Geo TV Network, Imran Aslam asserted that allfive channels of the network were being shut across the country, and theblackout was not just limited to the upscale, military-controlled DefenceHousing Authority (DHA).

“This is an attempt to financially cripple the organisation intosubmission. With the elections scheduled within months, some [people] feelthat this could be a form of pre-poll rigging. We are told not to have highhopes from the Supreme Court,” opined the official.

The Geo News website has been carrying a message on its homepage informingviewers that access to information was their fundamental right, requestingthem to inform the media house if they were not able to watch thetransmission.

A couple of newsmen associated with the channel vent their anger onmicroblogging platform over the weekend, expressing dismay over thecensorship while declaring to remain defiant.