( CNN ) -- Pakistan 's military is pushing to black out a national news station , calling its citing of a man tying government agents to the attempted assassination of his brother -- a prominent TV news anchor -- `` false , malicious and irresponsible reporting . '' Already Wednesday night , multiple people said Geo News was suddenly unavailable in large swaths of Peshawar , parts of Quetta and in military barracks in both cities . On its website , Geo News -- a CNN affiliate -- reported similar blackouts in Okara , Murree and Dera Ghazi Khan as well . And that could be just the beginning . The director general of ISI , Pakistan 's powerful intelligence agency , formally complained to the nation 's military about Geo 's coverage after an attack on one of its anchors , Hamid Mir . The defense ministry then asked the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to act against Geo News , including possibly suspending and ultimately canceling its license to broadcast . Hamid Mir was shot three times Saturday in Karachi by gunmen in a car and on two motorcycles near Karachi 's airport , his network reported . He is now recovering after undergoing what his doctor described as a successful operation . The government condemned this attack while also sharply criticizing Geo News ' subsequent reporting of the account of Mir 's brother Amir , who is a journalist himself . Amir Mir said his brother believed ISI and specifically its leader , Lt. Gen. Zaheerul Islam , had plans to assassinate him . The defense ministry 's complaint -- as cited by the Pakistan Press Foundation -- accuses Geo News of waging `` a vicious campaign ... wherein false accusations were made against a state institution tasked to work for the defense , sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan . '' This telecast tried to tarnish state agency 's image by `` falsely linking it with ... terrorist outfits/activities , '' the complaint said . `` ( This ) false , malicious and irresponsible reporting is a continuation of the policy of Geo Network for maligning the state institutions , '' added the complaint . Geo has strongly defended itself against these allegations , in addition to citing other journalists and ordinary Pakistanis who likewise have rallied to its side . Benjamin Ismail , the head of Reporters Without Borders Asia-Pacific desk , said the interview with Hamid Mir 's brother `` does not constitute an offense '' and noted that Pakistani authorities `` are perfectly free to address the suspicions against them . His group ranks Pakistan 158th out of 180 countries on its latest World Press Freedom Index . And Bob Dietz , the Asia program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists , urged the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority not to act against Geo News based on what he called `` a spurious complaint . '' `` We call on Pakistan 's security services to recognize the critical role of the media and exercise tolerance and maturity , '' Dietz said in a statement . `` The ISI is free to rebut allegations in the media but should not try to censor coverage . '' In an earlier statement , Dietz had called the targeting of Mir `` an indicator that the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has not been able to reverse the country 's appalling record of violence against journalists , despite pledges to do so . '' A former newspaper reporter and editor , Hamid Mir writes columns and hosts a political talk show on Geo News . His guests have included members of Pakistan 's ruling government and the opposition . Mir is also writing a book on Osama bin Laden , the late al Qaeda leader whose escape from the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan he extensively reported on . Two Pakistani governments -- once in 2007 and again in 2008 -- banned him from appearing on Pakistani television . Journalists Syed Ali Shah in Quetta , Pakistan , and Zahir Shah Sherazi in Peshawar contributed to this report .
Geo News anchor Hamid Mir was wounded last Saturday by gunmen in Karachi . His brother told Geo that Pakistan 's spy agency may have targeted Hamid Mir . The military asks for Geo to possibly lose its license over this `` malicious '' report . Score: 6