Talat Hussain says offensive viral clip was edited out, not aired on Samaa TV
November 04, 2025: Talat Hussain denies airing the viral clip showing Sher Afzal Marwat’s vulgar remark, saying it was not part of his Samaa TV show.
JournalismPakistan.com | Published 10 years ago
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISLAMABAD: English daily The News Thursday termed the 26-year jail term awarded to media tycoon Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman by a court in Gilgit-Baltistan an attempt to silence free media and urged the Supreme Court to take notice of it.
In an editorial titled “A Strange Verdict” the paper said Geo TV has already been fined for the program that was deemed as blasphemous by some religious scholars and taken off air as a punishment.
It said the Geo apologised for the program and scholars across the spectrum of religious thought had accepted these apologies. “The same program was broadcast by other channels repeatedly – without facing any punishment,” it said.
The editorial also questioned jurisdiction of the court that awarded the punishment. “How is it that an anti-terrorist court in Gilgit has jurisdiction in the matter, especially when so many other FIRs against the accused have been quashed, including in the city where Geo is based.”
The malicious campaign against Geo started after the attack on presenter Hamid Mir and has been relentless ever since, it said.
The paper said the verdict was the most frightening outcome of a coordinated campaign that has been waged for months. “The likes of Imran Khan incited nearly daily violence against the organization during his dharna.”
The verdict is nothing more than a continuing attempt to silence free media, it said, urging both the Supreme Court and the government to step in to ensure justice and freedom of the media.
November 04, 2025: Talat Hussain denies airing the viral clip showing Sher Afzal Marwat’s vulgar remark, saying it was not part of his Samaa TV show.
November 03, 2025: PFUJ recalls November 3, 2007, as Pakistan’s darkest day under Musharraf, urging protection for journalists and the abolition of laws threatening press freedom.
November 02, 2025: PFUJ urges Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments to end Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists and ensure their safety and press freedom.
November 02, 2025: Impunity for crimes against journalists deepens worldwide as Pakistan reports a 60 percent surge in attacks and weak enforcement of safety laws.
November 01, 2025: Pakistan Press Foundation reports 137 attacks on journalists in 2025, highlighting rising threats, legal harassment, and censorship on the International Day to End Impunity.
November 01, 2025: A viral Samaa TV clip featuring MNA Sher Afzal Marwat’s crude remarks and Talat Hussain’s laughter raises questions about the declining ethics of Pakistani television.
October 31, 2025: Police foiled a plot to kill DawnNewsTV journalist Tahir Naseer in Rawalpindi after arresting suspects hired for Rs200,000. Naseer says threats followed his reporting.
October 31, 2025: CPJ calls on Pakistan to bring Imtiaz Mir’s killers to justice after the journalist was allegedly murdered by a banned militant group in Karachi.
November 04, 2025 Journalist Rana Ayyub receives death threats over calls demanding a column on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as CPJ urges swift action to protect journalists in India.
November 04, 2025 TV8 journalist Mariana Rata in Moldova receives a death threat after interviewing politician Renato Usatii on-air, raising concerns about journalist safety.
November 03, 2025 Global journalist unions condemn the Indonesian agriculture minister’s lawsuit against Tempo, calling it a threat to press freedom and demanding that the case be withdrawn.
November 02, 2025 Independent outlet All About Macau to halt print and online operations amid rising pressure, financial strain, and legal threats, sparking press freedom concerns in the city.
November 01, 2025 Belarus court jails journalist Siarhei Chabotska for extremism and defaming the president, highlighting Minsk’s ongoing crackdown on press freedom.