ISLAMABAD, June 12: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is extremely concerned that two popular talk programmes transmitted to Pakistan from a Dubai-based TV channel have been taken off air at the request of the government of United Arab Emirates (UAE), says a press release received here.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), an affiliate of the IFJ, said the owner of Geo and the Jang group of newspapers, Mir Shakeelur Rehman, confirmed that UAE authorities had asked Geo to discontinue broadcasting Capital Talk, hosted by Islamabad-based Hamid Mir, and Meray Mutabek, hosted by Dubai-based Shahid Masood.

Pakistan’s Information Minister, Sherry Rehman, reportedly said that Pakistan's new civilian government had not asked UAE to act against Geo.