NEW YORK, April 25: The Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday asked President Pervez Musharraf to reverse government’s recent anti-press actions and harassment through legal, financial and physical attacks.

"We call on you to make every effort to allow diverse and critical news coverage, particularly in this important time leading up to elections,” demanded the New York-based watchdog group.

The CPJ observed: "As Pakistanis prepare for elections and a possible change of national leadership in the coming months, the Committee to Protect Journalists calls on you to reverse the government’s recent anti-press actions and allow for greater public criticism of your administration in the media."

"Government harassment through legal, financial and physical attacks on media houses runs contrary to your often-repeated claim of fostering a free press in Pakistan," the CPJ said in a statement.

It recalled that "the most recent incident is indicative of your government’s policies.

On Sunday, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) threatened to close privately-owned Aaj TV within three days after it aired programming critical of the government’s role in the political dispute surrounding the removal of Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

The notice said Aaj TV has incited violence by covering the case as it is being heard before the Supreme Judicial Council."

It noted that "Aaj TV’s owners say they are not in violation of broadcast regulations as alleged by Pemra; they suggest that the issue is being used as a pretext to mask your government’s real motives of silencing its broadcasts."

The legal attack on Aaj TV appears to be part of a larger pattern. On March 27, CPJ expressed its concern after receiving a letter from Hamid Haroon, publisher of the Dawn Group of Newspapers.

Haroon accused your government of punishing the group by withholding about two-thirds of state advertising since December 2006.

He also accused the government of withholding a television broadcast licence from the Dawn Group, even though the application had gotten requisite approvals from Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority and the Ministry of Information.

He believes that “the actions stem from Dawn’s critical coverage of your administration.”