Media in Pakistan

Media in Pakistan has started supporting military operations quite recently. Previously Pakistani media perpetuated pro-terrorism discourse and people like General Hamid Gul, Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif and leadership of the Jumat-e-Islami and JI were given a huge chunk of the prime time on different TV channels; and newspapers were filled with their articles and reports no matter how trivial and out of place they would sound. The popular discourse on media at that time was “dialogue”, a vague term reflecting only the apathy of the Pakistani intelligentsia and nobody bothered whether the militants were butchering the local population or forcing them to accept their medieval religious obscurantism. FATA had almost no coverage on the media and Swat was largely covered by armchair journalists who would not tire to bring the most far-fetched way of theorizing about the plight of some six million population. Many thanks to a few leading intellectuals within and outside the media and especially Pashtun intelligentsia and diaspora, whose untiring labour brought this paradigm shift.

One of the major historical reasons of media refusal to cover popular opinion is the so-called terminology of “security risk.” Under its label NAP was denied access to media during the seventies and progressives and enlightened forces were barred during the eighties. The security risk doctrine has been the powerful tools of the power holders, elitist centralist political forces and right-wingers. These forces backed by strong military institutions, intelligence agencies and world powers helped in the formation of a media culture which abhors dissent, pluralism, individualism and democratic values. Such uninterrupted perpetuation of suppressing the fundamental rights of freedom of expression on all levels encouraged a hierarchical power structure which demanded obedience and following. Media also could not escape this vicious circle and resultantly we can see a kind of self-imposed censorship which is an extremely fatal phenomenon for the stability of any society.

In the recent few years we have been witnessing a kind of “positive activism” on the part of media while covering some issues like the restoration of Chief Justice or criticizing government institution. Media is also playing a very vibrant role in projecting the problems of the common man. But what media failed to do is to undergo transformation in its very culture whose history has long been written down by the forces of darkness and which is still very active in eating every bit of our flesh so that we are becoming all bones and marrows. This transformation should cater for freedom of expression and compensate all those who have been treated unjustly.

In one of his editorial Najam Sethi has rightly asked for unity and expressing solidarity with a newspaper whose circulation is stopped in Fata and which also receives threats within Peshawar. (1) I stand with Najm Sethi on this issue and I’ll advice all and sundry to take notice of it. Meanwhile media should also start trying compensating all those who have been previously ignored. I receive consistent feedback on face book and different internet forums that the media is not giving due coverage to Pashtun Leadership especially Mahmood Khan Achakzai and his party Pashtunkhwa Mili Awami Party. It is pertinent to mention that media should set guidelines and code of conduct for abolishing discriminatory behaviors against Pashtun nationalist parties and do justice in covering Pashtun Leadership and their party activities.

(1) http://gmcmissing.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/defending-the-media-by-najam-sethi/