‘Democracy a sham sans Press freedom’
KARACHI (PPI) – Freedom of press is must for a democratic country and democracy sans freedom of press is phoney, said senior journalist Ahfaz ur Rehman during a lecture organized by the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Urdu University Karachi on Wednesday.
Even the’ worst of democracy is the better than a dictatorship, he said.
He believed that the court is the second institution after the press in Pakistan that has resisted against the sprawl of the few fighting generals, basically trained for maximum destruction.
“The ideal role of an army is only to defend its country and remain obedient to the democratically elected government.
Commenting on the present political situation in the country, he said, it is pity that even the smaller and insignificant countries of our region have started taking interest in our politics so openly.
He told students to differentiate between a state and a government. “The government is merely an administration that runs affairs of a state. There is nothing like an error-free administration. There is always room for improvement. And it only happens when the government puts itself to the test of its citizens.
“Freedom of Press guarantees free exchange of ideas. It also brings forward the most distant of the voices from the country. Thus, develops a pluralistic society that in return helps’ people develop their lives. Tauseef Ahmed Khan, chairman of the department and Lecturer Masroor Khanum also spoke.
Source: The Nation
Date:3/6/2008
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