Karachi: US Ambassador Anne Patterson today visited the office of Geo News, the TV channel shut down by Pakistan's military regime under emergency rule, and expressed her government's concern over orders suppressing the media.

"Such extreme and unreasonable measures are clearly not in Pakistan's best interest, and contradict the progress Pakistan has made toward becoming a fully democratic society," Patterson said during her meeting with Geo's senior editorial staff and management.

"Not only is it an issue of freedom of speech and independence of the media, such measures are also economically punitive for the affected news organisations," she said. The media must be free to report on events and share their opinions with the public, she added.

The Geo and ARY news channels were shut down by the Pakistan government after they refused to accept a code of conduct drawn up after the imposition of emergency by President Pervez Musharraf on November 3.

Source : PTI