Electronic media
Pakistan’s political elite need to lower polarization in the country, especially when floods have ravaged the country, destroyed crops, displaced millions with almost 1500 perished. The Electronic Media should play its role instead of just catering to ratings etc. Given the magnitude of floods, Pakistan faces tough times with food shortages and inflation making life miserable for those who lost their homes. Democracy is all about serving the people, upholding rule of law and not just to gain power. Intensity of damage inflicted by recent floods and glacier melting could have been curtailed if PTI government and all those who preceded them, had taken concrete steps to prevent the damage done by floods.
Organisations like NDMA should have been prepared to meet challenges and their priority should be infrastructure with tools required to cater for such emergencies, instead of wasting on administration and perks of its executives. These floods were forecasted and so was climate change induced high temperatures which have resulted in glacier melting. For this NDMA needs professionals qualified in Environment Science and Controls, not bureaucrats or retired officers. Emergency Rescue is a specialized field.
The Electronic Media should focus on the need to motivate people to unite together and face adversity collectively. Freedom of expression and protest is not absolute and has to be exercised within framework of laws and constitution. In such times Electronic Media must pause and realize that they need to play a more positive role and not blindly pursue ratings by indulging in needless political rabble. For instance, why should a lady anchor while asking questions from Fawad Chaudhry prompt a reply of her choice with a question whether spokesman of ISPR over-reacted
Source: The Nation
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