Kashmir Watch : CNN team barred from Lal Masjid visit

CNN team barred from Lal Masjid visit

July 12, 2007

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information on Thursday informed the CNN team that it would not be welcomed to the media contingent to cover the aftermath of operation against Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa.

A group of 200 media representatives was taken to Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa Complex to attend a briefing session addressed by the ISPR Director General. In Atlanta, meanwhile, a CNN spokesman said, “The action by the Pakistan government is regrettable. We remain committed to reporting from Pakistan.”

What angered the top media managers of the government was the airing of a documentary titled ‘The threat within’ on July 7 by CNN. This also deprived the CNN team of the coverage of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz’s briefing for foreign correspondents on July 10.