Press freedom in Pakistan

Is Press Freedom a fact or a farce in Pakistan?
Mohammad Shehzad
IS THERE a free press in Pakistan? Is there any law that entitles its citizens to have access to information? Is the media promoting peace?
These issues were discussed at length at the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung and Liberal Forum Pakistan's two-day media workshop `Promoting Values of Peace in the Age of Media Abundance' on December 29-30.
It was not an amateurish event. It was attended by senior editors, journalists and columnists-like Imtiaz Gul, M Ziauddin, Munoo Bhai, Dr Tariq Rehman and others.
Imtiaz Gul's revelation startled all of us. He works for CNN, Voice of Germany and The Friday Times (TFT)-all very influential media organizations. In 1995, he published a story on oil and gas industry and wrote something that Nawab Akbar Bugti did not appreciate and he sued the TFT.
The story was correct. Imtiaz could have proved it with evidence. The damages claimed ran into millions. No lawyer in Quetta was ready to defend Imtiaz and TFT. No lawyer in Islamabad-even Akram Shaikh-was happy to appear in Quetta.
"I ran from pillar to post-from Khuda-e-Noor to the top slot in the judiciary, but to no avail! I did not want to tender an apology. But I had to swallow the bitter pill. To avoid the litigation, TFT published the apology! It was the most agonising moment of my life!" Imtiaz shared this with a very heavy heart with the participants.
If a powerful journalist and publication like TFT cannot publish the truth and is vulnerable to harassment, how could press be free in Pakistan!
But Mujahid Barelvi had become too optimistic after finding a job with the Indus Television that pays him on time. In terms of press freedom, Pakistan in his `flawless' opinion "had streams and stocks of milk and honey." He went on and on praising it until CR Shamsi, Vice President of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists interrupted him reminding him of what had happened to Shaheen Sehbai, Editor of SA Tribune. How was he persecuted and forced to leave the country when he published a couple of investigative reports that went against the government.
But instead of countering Shamsi's argument, he started bashing Sehbai saying: "Ask Shaheen to come to Pakistan and write what he is publishing in the South Asia Tribune. He is trying to become a hero in exile, he can say anything!"
Shamsi had to give Barelvi his piece of mind to cool him down. He revealed how he had to change his route several times while returning home from the newspaper office after turning down a Mnistry of Information 'directive' about the headline of a particular story. Musharraf, in his opinion, was a tyrant like General Zia ul Haq. He could have whipped the journalists had he not to show the world that he was a 'liberal'. He did not follow General Ziaul Haq, but ensured sufficient suppression of press through other methods.
Shamsi bluntly condemned the government-newspapers owner nexus, calling it an 'unholy nexus'. "Both use each other for their ulterior motives. The owners get annual ads worth 150 billions rupees from the government. They have no scruples or principles. They were avaricious and had no regard for journalistic ethics and working journalists' sufferings. They were ready to use their workers' strength in time of crisis against the government but not willing to address their genuine problems."
He cited Mir Shakilur Rehman's example when the Jang group came under Senator Saifur Rehman's fire. "Rehman cried and begged for journalists' support to fight his battle with the government under the condition that he would regularise the contract employees. He confessed and regretted that he had been selling his conscience to the government. The journalists fought his war. The Jang-government tussle came to an end but Rehman never regularized the contract employees. When I reminded him his words and the confession, he shamelessly said that yes he had said that he had been selling his conscience but did he ever promise not to sell it again," Shamsi disclosed and his words were endorsed by many who had witnessed the scene.
But M Ziauddin, Resident Editor of Dawn Islamabad, had a different experience to share. In his opinion, the absence of the office of professional editor had caused press freedom an irreparable loss. Everyone agreed, that the institution of professional editor existed only in the Dawn. Ziauddin maintained that through professionalism and courage the scope of freedom could be increased. He recalled that once he was asked to play up with a heading by an information ministry officer. He snubbed the guy and never received such a call again.
During General Zia's regime, his so-called press card was confiscated. Ziauddin started filing exclusive reports on the economy which disturbed the government to such an extent that it had to return his card. Once, one of his reporters was asked by the ministry to cover an event. When the reporter brought it into his notice, he asked the reporter to tell the officer to quit the ministry job and take up his (the reporter's) job.
Former journalist and Friedrich Naumann Stiftung's project coordinator Zafarullah Khan was of the view that the Pakistan print media did not promote peace. It resorted to anti-peace language and slogans. To support it, he compared two recent terrorist attacks on churches took place simultaneously in India and Daska, Pakistan.
Pakistani media used the phrase of `unidentified attackers' for the terrorists whereas, the phrase `Hindu religious extremists' were used by the Indian media, which reflected more objectivity and professionalism. Khan wanted an answer to why media was unable to demonstrate professionalism in terms of framing rights words, phrases and issues while reporting on the events.
Citing Mithi case (a district of Pakistan), Khan termed government's pledge of equal rights to minorities as a farce. Mithi's 98 percent populace is Hindu. Government had recently revoked a cable operator's license because he had put on a few bhajans!
Khan complained that media did not report on people's sufferings. "To have the story of unemployment on the front page, the poor have to climb Minaret Pakistan and commit suicide by jumping down. To have justice, one has to put himself/herself on fire. These are ugly examples in Pakistan's history."
"The newspapers are controlled by the military bureaucracy. Media would start harping on [peace] when General Musharraf would visit Agra. It would start publishing life threats issued by Lashkare Tayyaba to Vajpayee when a civilian government would talk peace with India. Media is thus in the bondage of the state which is basically army," Khan concluded.
At the end of the workshop, participants were convinced that press freedom and right to know was nothing but a farce. All such laws had been enacted with the motive to defend the establishment's skin. Press freedom had never been the issue of the newspapers' owner. It was the 'problem' of the working journalists. The current degree of press freedom owes it contribution to the working journalists. No owner had ever undergone imprisonment for the cause of press freedom. Afflictions and tribulations were born by the journalists. Newspaper owners never bothered to visit the press clubs or attend the meetings of journalists' organizations.
A plethora of recently introduced press freedom laws already exist on statues. They were basically the reincarnation of the notorious Press and Publication Ordinance, which was masterminded by Altaf Gohar during General Ayub's martial law. A few known families monopolized the print media in Pakistan. These families very obediently serve the interests of the government. The latter had come up with such laws that ensured that electronic media too was monopolized by the same families, so that no `entity of conscience' could dare enter this profession.
Government's step of giving license to private channels was a good initiative. However, the laws under which such licenses were given had a number of flaws and cracks that were against the channels. The government was empowered to cancel anybody's license without providing the aggrieved party any right of defence.
The writer is an independent journalist based in Islamabad. Email: rageshri2@yahoo.com