A group of South Asian media bodies have asked the Pakistani authorities not to blackout the television networks in any part of the country. The South Asia Media Commission, SAMC and South Asian Free Media Association, SAFMA said in a joint statement that they had taken serious note of the recent incidents of blacking out the transmission of Geo and ARY networks and the burning down of newspapers in some parts of Pakistan. SAMC President Kumar Ketkar, SAMC Secretary General Najam Sethi, SAFMA President Reazuddin Ahmed and SAFMA Secretary General Imtiaz Alam called upon the elected government of Pakistan and the ruling Pakistan People's Party to show utmost restraint and avoid taking any step that muzzles media freedom in any way.The Geo News and ARY News channels, which had reported a show-throwing incident involving President Asif Ali Zardari, were earlier this week taken off by cable networks in the southern Sindh province.Workers of the ruling PPP had also protested outside their offices. Geo News managing director Azhar Abbas had alleged the PPP and the government were behind the campaign against his channel.