Independent media, journalists stand vindicated | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Independent media, journalists stand vindicated

By Usman Manzoor

ISLAMABAD: The independent media, led by the Jang Group, has proved all pro-government functionaries, legal experts, pseudo-intellectuals and many others who were blaming the media and pointing accusing fingers wrong as Wednesday’s historic developments endorsed what this section of the media has been highlighting.

The government has been negating the stance of The News and Daily Jang for highlighting the constitutional position on appointment of judges and the role of the executive regarding consultation of these appointments and on every other important constitutional issue.

The constitutional demand of implementation of the NRO judgment and condemnation of corruption by this group was termed by the government and a few others as a conspiracy to target some individuals, including President Zardari, and to wrap up the democratic system, but like always, the truth has prevailed. Even some journalists-turned-politicians also went overboard to specifically blame the media, sometimes even against their own writings and declarations.

A few senior journalists including those who have contribution in framing corruption charges against Asif Ali Zardari and have remained ministers in the previous governments, have also been beating the drum that Jang Group wanted a clash of the institutions and has brought the executive and the judiciary at loggerheads through its reporting.

But the government by accepting the recommendations of the CJP has given a shut up call to these so-called intellectuals. It has been proved that these critics of the media had ample time to attack the messengers but not a single second to read the Constitution. It is worth mentioning that The News and Jang have been calling for strengthening of institutions and have been highlighting the exact constitutional position on every important issue. Subsequent developments on each occasion stamped the authenticity of the principled stance of the Jang Group. The history is a witness to these happenings.

Pervez Musharraf had been pointing fingers at the Jang Group for being against the system and even went on to the extent of punishing the group, making it suffer a loss of billions of rupees when Geo TV was closed for 75 consecutive days for its consistent coverage against his unconstitutional military rule. The meanness of this persecution was that the only sports channel of the country was also closed on orders of the dictator.

Then the present government named four journalists of Geo and The News for hatching conspiracies against it while the group was condemning corruption, misrule and promoting good governance.

Recently, the PPP government targeted the Jang Group once again when it raised its voice for implementation of NRO judgment. The government also tried to isolate the group when the entire lot of its spokesmen started blaming the group, and its journalists, for being against the democratic system.

These spokesmen have been giving their own interpretations of the Constitution on television channels but Wednesday’s U-turn has compelled them to hide their faces with shame and embarrassment.

All those intellectuals and legal experts who had their own pro-government interpretation of the Constitution regarding appointment of judges went into a state of shock on Wednesday evening.

The government’s legal experts have also been misinterpreting the famous Al-Jehad Trust case and have been pressing for elevating senior most judge of a high court to the Supreme Court while the reality was totally different as there is no mention of seniority rule while elevating a judge to the apex court. PM Gilani by surrendering to the SC has endorsed what the Jang Group has been highlighting since July 31, 2009 when PCO and Dogar-recommended judges were sent packing.
Source: The News
Date:2/18/2010