Report on press freedom showed political bias: government spokesman
ISLAMABAD- A spokesman for the government said the contents of a report titled ‘Pakistan: state of media and press freedom report 2001-2002’, appearing in Dawn on May 2, blatantly reflected political bias and was also in complete disregard of the ground realities.
He said no crew of mediamen covering the Afghan situation was ever detained or thrashed. However, some were questioned and cleared after their identity was established. This had obviously been necessitated by Pakistan’s frontline status against terrorism in the aftermath of the civilized world’s war on terrorism. Security concerns of a state cannot be left to the whims of reporters or photographers, and such matters also embraced, within their fold, the security of journalists.
Dilating upon the press policy, the spokesman maintained that during the present government’s tenure the press had been the freest ever in Pakistan’s history. The government had not in any circumstances, and while facing the critical barrage of the media on the one hand, jettisoned its policy of a free and democratic press, neither had it abandoned its tolerant stance towards skeptics and cynics in the media. He added that some opinion and news columns spoke volumes about the government’s respect for freedom of the press. Some of these, the spokesman said, were passionately biased and misleading, but even then the government remained steadfast in its policy.
He asserted that as a result of such democratic policy – unparalleled in the annals of Pakistan – the government-press relations were harmonious, which bore ample testimony to the fact that the policy, followed for the sake of democratic values, was bearing fruit.
The spokesman said: “Criticism is taken in its stride and unless the integrity of the country is imperilled or our social, moral and religious values are deliberately violated, no notice is ever taken by the government of criticism of its policies and programmes.”
Responding to a fear of the alleged violations outlined in the report on the state of the media, the spokesman maintained as follows:
Shaheen Sehbai resigned after his relations with the management were strained and the management no longer wanted him as the editor of their daily. The spokesman wondered where did the government reckon in such matters.
The gruesome Daniel pearl episode reflects the danger posed by the specter of terrorism the world over.
To the extent of the press people’s manhandling by Faisalabad police, the story carries some weight in view of our police apparatus having been trained in colonial settings. It unfortunately happens with other segments of society too, and the press corps is not an exception. The act, however, was condemnable and warranted legal action against the offending police officials.
The government has ordered a judicial inquiry and district and session judge, Faisalabad, has been appointed to conduct the inquiry. The president himself apologized for this act by the police.
The devolution of power to the local level is the answer to correct our erring police personnel. The government vows to implement a long-term substantial change in the policing system of the country.
In each case reported, the government has taken prompt action against the erring police officials and provided justice/relief to the media people.
The Punjab government had merely referred to some objectionable remarks in the press. The Punjab police during the public meeting were handling a mammoth crowd, which led to some incidental mishandling.
Controlling a large crowd, which turned up to listen to President Musharraf, was indeed an uphill task.
Renowned journalist C.R.Shamsi was attacked entirely on account of personal reasons, due to some personal feud relating to property ownership.
Many of the quoted instances in the report, like the arrests in Abbottabad and the Sh. Muhammad Younus saga, pertain directly to the blasphemy laws as they are enforced in Pakistan to safeguard its genesis.
Many of the instances cited in the report hold no validity vis-a-vis press freedom, because these were an outcome of some personal or family feuds, i.e. Faraz Hashmi’s case, registration of cases against Ali Kazi and Ayub Kazi, Ummat attack, while some like gutting of Zamana offices and abusive language against Dawn and Nation photographers were entirely incidental.
The allegations that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) forbade cable operators from transmission of Indian channels through their hook-up has to be seen what our neighbour has done in terms of prohibiting the Indian cable operators to jam PTV transmissions, more especially, in those states of India which are facing indigenized insurgency for freedom from the union government.
Interestingly, all Star channels originating form Indian soil are being beamed in Pakistan and can be viewed here. This part of the report thus stands falsified.
The spokesman observed that the report seems to be a deliberate attempt by inveterately opposing elements to malign the government by false and flimsy accusations. He added that the government was cognizant of the domestic issues both in politics and in the press. Let it be placed on record that never in the history of Pakistan the press had enjoyed an unprecedented freedom since October 1999. The press corps and their managers, with owners, have conceded that “there now are no chains on the press in Pakistan.”
Concluding, the spokesman wished that the report indeed of enlisting a fusillade of lambasting accusations had cited some glances and snippets of press freedom in Pakistan.
Source: Dawn
Date:5/4/2002
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