Karachi/Islamabad, Nov 17: In its attempt to shut all opposing voices against the Musharraf regime, the Pakistan Government banned the broadcast of Geo News at 1:00 a.m.

According to sources, President General Pervez Musharraf himself intervened to stop all Geo News transmissions from Dubai.

Almost all political parties and civil societies have condemned the bar on the news channel.

Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif told Shahid Masood on telephone from London that it was a tragic moment in Pakistan's history, as the Musharraf regime is bent upon destroying every symbol of free speech and democracy in the country, The News reported.

Pakistan People’s Party vice chairman Makhdoon Amin Faheem said that it would be a tragedy for the country and democracy if Geo went off the air.

Lt. General Talat Masood, former Chief Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqi and many others representing the civil society, who used to regularly appear in Geo talk shows, expressed shock and disgust at the decision to shut down Geo News.

In Pakistan, all Geo channels were blocked by the military regime after the imposition of the emergency but on Friday two main channels, Dawn News and AAJ were back on air.

The Pakistan Government had initially asked the Geo administration to stop the most popular programmes of popular TV hosts Shahid Masood, Hamid Mir and Kamran Khan without offering any tangible reason why they should be stopped, sources revealed.

They further said that Geo was first forbidden in Pakistan through cable operators and then pressure was mounted through the authorities concerned of the country from where it was being aired. (ANI)