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Rumors Propagate as Pakistan Curbs News Flow

NPR | By Philip Reeves

Published November 5, 2007 at 3:00 PM CST

Pakistan is awash in rumors, after Pakistani authorities shut down main sources of information.

The government took nongovernment TV stations off the air when it imposed emergency rule this weekend. One rumor acquired real momentum: that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf had been arrested by the Army's deputy chief of staff.

The rumor prompted cheers from protesters and was spread by taxi drivers, forcing the government to take the unusual step of publicly denying it.