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Are sections of Pakistani media destabilising democracy?

November 29th, 2009 | 55 Comments

Bilal Qureshi has contributed this piece for PTH. We do not necessarily agree with all the contents of this article but the issue is important enough to be debated. (RR – ed PTH)

Journalism 101, that is, the very first lesson of journalism is impartiality. In other words, journalists, at least in civilized societies don’t take any position on issues. And editors make sure that personal opinion don’t seep into the work that the journalists are assigned. This is common practice, and even in India, if you read the papers or watch their talk shows, it is impossible to associate journalists with any particular political party. So, in this light, it is utterly nauseating to see media in Pakistan, both electronic and print (especially Urdu media) engage in efforts to destabilize a democratically elected government. Especially, a channel backed up a by large paper is maliciously attacking everything that the government does day after day in print, and night after night on television.

This must be stopped.

No, this level of journalistic activism can never be defended or worse, tolerated. Zardari did the right thing when he spoke clearly and aggressively against the conspiracy theorists when he addressed a rally in Karachi.

Now, the government must come out swinging against the types of immoral, unethical, and extremely biased anchors that we see in Pakistan today.

I am not suggesting censorship, and neither am I asking the government to exert pressure on any media group with one exception. And we all know that particular channel responsible for spreading, fear and hatred and I want the government to confront the lies that this particular channel is presenting as facts.

Media, as I understand is not the answer for everything. Yes, no doubt that the media can play a very constructive role in helping societies progress and move in the right direction. However, it is with great regret that I note that the media in Pakistan, as I have observed during my extended stay in Pakistan, has become a mouth piece for those who were decisively rejected by the electorate in the last election. Worse yet, the media in Pakistan has become an apologist and an unofficial spokesmen for the Taliban. Therefore, in this extremely poisonous political environment, it is the duty of the government to strike back hard, demand explanation for the derogatory remarks and corruptions charges casually thrown around by these so-called journalists, both in print and on television.

Today, the elected government, a government that is full of people who fought not one, but two dictators, a government full of people who rejected of the offers of signing confessions and in return moving to plush ‘exiles’ in foreign countries. Today, this government is made to look like a corrupt and incompetent government, thanks to the right wing pro Taliban anchors and ‘experts and analysts’. This is simply unacceptable, period. So, on behalf of progressive, objective and non-conspiracy theorists, I ask the government to fight back, and fight back really hard, fight for your political life. Otherwise, the constant drip drip of corruption is going to stick and the people in Pakistan are going to buy into this notion that the government is actually corrupt and incompetent. I ask the government in Pakistan to take on the militant and pro Taliban right wing anti democracy, anti progress and hateful people who are trying to destroy the country by presenting the horrible Taliban as heroic fighters, which they certainly are not. And there are plenty of people in the media across Pakistan who can be persuaded to join the government in this effort to root out useless talking heads from the television. But first, the government has to aggressively hit back.

Mr. Gilllani, are you ready to save the future of Pakistan? Are you ready to stop kissing up to Nawaz Sharif and take a bold stand to defend your party, your president and your people? Are you?

Written by admin

Filed under: Democracy, Media · Tags: channel, Democracy, Gillani, Media, newspaper, Pakistan, President, Prime Minister, Urdu, Zardari

55 Responses to "Are sections of Pakistani media destabilising democracy?"

Natasha says:

November 30, 2009 at 11:20 pm

Wajid,

Let’s not talk about that particular media giant.

What do you think about Kashif Abbasi , Talat Hussain ,Naseem Zehra etc.?
Salman Latif says:

November 30, 2009 at 11:22 pm

I totally agree with what the writer said!!
Media in Pakistan reeks of sheer hypocrisy when it comes to taking positions on issues, which it does and does over and over again! And not only does it take positions, it switches them regularly with the tide of time. In recent times, the stances of popular mainstream media on issues of Talibans is clear – those who say media persuaded the war on Talibans must be reminded well of the fact that just before that, media anchors were busy convincing people that it’s the drone attacks and not Talibans that are a far greater threat to Pakistan. Similar saga of shamelessness made it’s way into Pakistani media’s reporting through the Lal Masjid episode.
The problem indeed is with our media that it does indeed act at the whim of individuals or personnel, or have strategies or stances in favor or against every political party – to cite an example, Nawai Waqt is well known for it’s pro-Sharif policies and pro-right reporting. While taking an ideological stance is nothing wrong, backing or opposing a party or person just on the basis of that is indeed wrong.
And this certainly should stop!
Ali Abbas says:

December 1, 2009 at 4:30 pm

@Vajra,

The Pakistani “civil society” elites just won the gold medal for mental gymnastics and conspiracy theories. You cannot win any arguement with them as they can manufacture presuppositions faster than you Indians can manufacture electronics. You see before the operation in Swat, the urban bourgeoise and the civil society elites had painted the Taliban as “Pushtoon-Nationalist”, “Marxist guerillas”, “anti-Feudal” and “anti-imperalist resistance” even as these Taliban were massacring and beheading hundreds of Shia Pushtoons and the secular ANP leaders (remember them, the actual Pushtoon nationalists) and destroying the centuries old symbols of Pushtoon culture (Buddhist relics in Swat, Sufi shrines in Peshawar). Before 9/11, when they were massacring Shias, Christains, Brehlvi Sunnis and Ahmadis, these civil society types just ignored the mayhem. However, after 9/11, when the US pooped on ISI’s strategic depth party in Afghanistan, the spin became more pronounced than a Shane Warne delivery!
Everytime Shias were masscred in Quetta in batches of 50-100, the Indians were blamed. When sucide bombs are being going off all over Pakistan, the clandestine firm of Goldberg, Prashad and Brown is blamed for everything. You see, if the Taliban are killing us, they are Jewish-Hindu and Christain agents. When they kill you guys in Mumbai, they are heros who can fight with our army anytime. Its really that simple; you cannot beat the “logic”.

Now, Blackwater/Xe has taken over Islamabad instead of the Taliban and the place is literally crawling with thousands of Teutons who want to steal our nukes as well as our Jinns who have made billions of megawatts of energy that is hidden in the lower intestine vaults of our ghazis to prevent Zardari from stealing them; at the appropriate time (after the PPP elected Govt. is overthrown ofcourse), these “ghazis” will come forth and in one glorious fart, bless Pakistan with unlimited energy and ofcourse, stink you guys out of Kashmir, the Red Fort and all the cool places. Our media has been democratically elected in the mess halls of the ISI and while Talat Hussain/Nasim Zehra/Kamran Abbasi are slightly weak in arithmatic, logic, truth, integrity, objectivity, honesty, research, character, they are damn fine journalists! Where else can you find journalists who can equalize $700 million with $50 million. When you want to fudge and spin the truth, Glenn Beck is no match for these guys! Just please leave these guys and their multi-million monthly ruppee contracts alone and don’t question their alleged links with the security establishment; after all, they are not here to inform them public but to mantain an establishment that has Pakistan as a fortress of Islam; not a nation state as envisioned by its founder.
vajra says:

December 1, 2009 at 6:01 pm

@Ali Abbas

Your delightful essay. I was in splits of laughter. Thank you for brightening up a gloomy winter’s evening.

On a duller note, I assure you we are afflicted with a media bunch with as vivid a set of imaginations as your lot; it is not accidental that these media mavens get along famously when they meet. I am now beginning to understand why my daughter firmly rejected her five years of journalism two years ago, and turned to another profession, on the grounds of the moral bankruptcy of the electronic media, where she worked.

Secondly, we have as many spooks as you, but for reasons not clear to me, they don’t seem to be very good, which is a matter that we can both thank ourselves for; I hope that thirty or forty years later, it turns out from documents released from secrecy that today’s spooks on your side are as ineffective as ours.

For the rest, after getting my second wind and reading your evaluation of the situation again, I stepped out of the house and got myself some clothes pegs. It appears that the weapons of mass destruction that you foresee being used will be terribly potent, and may penetrate even Calcutta’s justly famed smog all the way from Kashmir and Delhi.

I shall now watch avidly for more from your pen; please. Kinkminos seems to have abandoned us, perhaps because the response to his last piece was disappointingly tame.
Milind Kher says:

December 1, 2009 at 8:17 pm

@Ali Abbas,

I salute you for a thoroughly entertaining piece. The pathos underlying the comedy is that what you are saying is so true – some part (essentially the fanatical right wing) of the media IS really screwed up.

Mature people will need to take the lead in seeing that transparency in journalism is promoted, and conclusions are based on facts, not theories.