PM wants media not to be used by anti-democratic forces | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

PM wants media not to be used by anti-democratic forces

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan electronic media’s obsession with so-called revolutionists by going overboard in showing the hate and anti-democracy speeches also caught the attention of Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif as the PM in his speech on Tuesday requested mildly not to be used by those who have anti-democratic agenda.

The PM said that some elements were using the media to propagate their ‘agenda’ which should not be happen. The PM rightly complained about the electronic media’s all-out support for those who either have their children settled in the West or are themselves citizens of another state.

Analysts believe that 99 percent of the revolution of Tahirul Qadri and Azadi March of Imran Khan is on media while not even one percent of it is present on ground.At a time when the anti-government forces are getting united, using the electronic media for their objectives and openly announcing the toppling of the democratic government, the PM only requested the media not to be used by such forces.

On Sunday, the 10th of August, during a rally to announce the toppling of the democratic government, the participants raised slogans “electronic media zindabad” and the person asking the people to kill policemen and topple the government, Tahirul Qadri, warned the print media to mend its ways. Different channels continued to air the news of the killing of eight workers of PAT but none was successful in disclosing the name of a single person who was killed.

This is aimed at creating chaos in the country while as a matter of fact, Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Sunni Ittehad Council workers attacked the police in Bhera, using bombs and firearms and killed one policeman and injured dozens. However, most electronic outlets continued reporting of imaginary killing of PAT workers without highlighting the injuries caused to the policemen.

Qadri also ordered his workers to kill anyone who returns without completing the ‘revolution’. The electronic media aired this repeatedly on Sunday. Amid strong criticism in Pakistan and fear of legal action in Canada, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Chief Tahirul Qadri on Monday retracted his Sunday’s statement saying that he was joking.

However instead of admitting to his mistake, Qadri blamed a section of the media for misquoting him and leveled baseless allegations against the two papers. “I said those words jokingly. I was referring to myself and (PTI chief) Imran Khan when I said those returning without revolution should be martyred,” Qadri told a press conference waving the copies of dailies The News, Jang and Nawa-e-Waqt. However, Qadri failed to mention that the entire Pakistani media, including those considered “friendly” by Qadri and even foreign press, had also quoted him as saying the same words in the same context.

Even the foreign newspapers also contradicted Qadri’s fresh claims. Saudi Arabia’s largest English-language daily newspaper said: “No one will return till the government is toppled and the system changed,” Qadri told his workers and asked them to take a pledge by raising their hands. He went on to the extent of saying that ‘if anyone comes back before changing the system he too be martyred.”

The News