Newspapers, Internet keeping citizens informed as TV channels go off-air
KARACHI – Restriction on the private news channels has prompted the unprecedented demand as alternative sources of information including newspapers and Internet across the country.
Meanwhile overseas Pakistanis are also keeping their relatives here informed about the latest reports of private news channels, as the transmission of private channels is available outside country.
The black-out of private channels has compelled citizens to rely on print media and internet, which boosted the circulation of newspapers and touching new records day by day, since the transmission of private TV channels have been restricted inside the country.
It is pertinent to mention that since the domination of electronic media in Pakistan, the practice of supplements of news papers of prints media on special occasion had been vanished for past five years but on the occasion of imposing state of emergency and restriction on the channels have again revived the process of supplements of newspapers in the country.
The supplements of newspapers were sold out like a hot cake as if people have been waiting long to know the latest developments of current political scenario of Pakistan
Citizens of the country who were used to getting current information through the electronic media of different channels past several years on various historical political and other important events but during the current political crisis when emergency has been imposed in the country and 1973 Constitution is in abeyance, citizens have been deprived of balance coverage of events through the private news channels.
While blogs are among other alternative to keep citizens inform about the latest information, as Pakistanis could not watch their channels, their relatives outside the country kept themselves informed about live television reports, which they posted on the blogs.
Scores of blog visitors suspected that after restriction of television channels, the Internet would be the next target of government, as the connectivity and page loading had slowed down. But others felt that the slow speed was due to the unusually heavy load of users.
However, the move of the government to restrict transmission of private channels has achieved its objective of thwarting a possible aggressive response from the masses that could have emerged after the imposition of emergency in the country.
The instructions, issued by the government, to the TV cable operators across the country to stop the transmission of private TV channels was aimed at pre-empting political backlash from the masses if the broadcasting images from private channels were available in the country.
Transmissions of all news channels even foreign news channels were restricted except PTV news channel.
Interestingly, majority of the citizens of the country came to know about the imposition of the emergency after lapse of many hours due to the blockage of news channels.
At the same time people were complaining their concerned cable TV operators for the halt of news channels transmission, they were unaware of emergency then cable operators told the people about the emergency and excused to resume the transmission of news channels.
In the light of this situation people had to stick again to the PTV to be updated with the current situation of the country, they had no option except to watch PTV because above 90 percent people in metropolises of the country are using cable TV services, they have no means to watch other channels except cable TV service.
Taking the benefit of this opportunity the government had set a panel of their adherents in a TV show on PTV, which constantly tried to justify the decision of emergency to instil the point of view of government over the emergency decision in the minds of citizens of the country.
It was reported that when a major incident took place at the country all private news channels struggled with all strength to lead the event and compelled the citizens to move the buttons of remote control from one channel to other channel as if one wants to watch news of all channels at a stretch.
Interestingly, after imposition of emergency in country, the routine life of Karachi remained unchanged, traffic jam at last night and on Monday remained same as compared to the traffic jam of other days on main thoroughfares of the city.
Experts are of the view that the think tank in government came up with the plan to halting broadcasting of private news channels, proved a prudent decision, which helped them to avoid criticism from the masses.
It seems that government had learnt a great deal from the past experience when police officials barged into a building of private channel and ransacked the offices .At that time opposition parties had taken full advantage of the incident and poured oil on the fire which resulted in President Pervez Musharraf publicly apologising with the channel, experts said.
But this time the government had left no opportunity to the opposition parties and opponents of Musharraf to shape the minds of the masses, they added.
Source: The News
Date:11/6/2007
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