The smear campaign against the Jang Group: The real story
KARACHI: The Jang Group is no stranger to being targeted, as it has been under attack for the past many years. During the last few months, however, the viciousness on display must have shocked everyone. The sheer venom and vindictiveness of the attack has forced us to speak plainly and unveil the reasons as well as begin to reveal the forces behind this attack.
The sorry state of our beloved country is before us. For decades it has been subjected to misrule, loot and plunder. The follies committed in order to perpetuate this misrule and the policies adopted in the name of ‘national interest’ have brought us to this unhappy state. The recipe out of this malaise is also no rocket science. The formula that can reverse this disastrous trend is simple: strengthening democratic forces and ensuring their continuity, investing in education, fighting extremism of every kind and opting for dialogue as means to a peaceful, honourable and equitable solution within ourselves (the Taliban) and our neighbours (India).
Unfortunately, there are dark and dangerous forces arrayed against this agenda of democracy, development, peace and progress.
For the last many years, the Jang Group/Geo has taken upon itself the challenge of campaigning for a reform agenda: we have campaigned and continue to campaign for strengthening democratic forces, for exposing corruption across all sectors of society, for the independence of the judiciary, for investing in education, for making fair and honourable peace with India and for righting the other ills afflicting our country.
This agenda is unacceptable to the forces wanting the status quo, and these forces exist on both sides of the border. They intend to defeat us by any means possible and will not allow us to be the torch-bearer of progressive thought and intention. This is what the Jang Group and Geo are actually accused of: trying to lift Pakistan out of the quicksand that the country is sliding into; that we have identified the forces that are responsible for the disastrous condition in which our beloved country is.
Campaigns such as Zara Sochiye, Aman Ki Asha, restoration of the judiciary, a free and independent media and democracy as the only long term system that is acceptable are intended to lift Pakistan out of the miserable state in which it is and to propel it into the ranks of progressive and successful nations, nations which are a source of admiration and pride for the entire Muslim Ummah.
Unfortunately, there are powerful forces whose personal interests clash with this vision of Pakistan. They have tried their best to dissuade us from pursuing this course. They are hell-bent on making us fail because the success of this mission will diminish their own vain glory, the iron grip they have on anything and everything they want. Unfortunately, there is no dearth of collaborators whom they bribe, threaten and force to play this game and act as their proxies.
The people of Pakistan should make no mistake about what this fight is all about. It is not about taxes, TV ratings or such gains. JG/Geo are already miles ahead of all competitors and we have no other compromising or competing business interests like some of the other media groups which have come into this business as an insurance policy to protect their other businesses, or as a public relations and government pressure tool for their other businesses.
We don’t need to do the laughable things we are accused of; we already enjoy the confidence and patronage of the people of Pakistan. This fight is about whether Pakistan is to continue on the disastrous course it has traveled during the last 60 years, whether it is to continue to remain in the grip of the forces which have ruled it thus far and brought it to this pitiable state. Or whether our beloved country is to chart a new course, whether it should break free from the follies and misadventures of the past and march into the future as an educated, honourable country led by popular, mandated political forces.
The Jang Group and Geo are actually accused of trying to encourage the people of Pakistan to make an informed choice: Should they opt for democracy or dictatorship, education or ignorance, open mindedness or narrow mindedness, peace or conflict, corruption or honesty, economic progress or deprivation? Make no mistake about it, that’s what this fight is about.
Though the Jang Group finds the wild, fanciful allegations laughable, we have already printed a detailed response to all of them for the benefit of our readers and viewers.
In the past too we have been made the target of innuendo and slander, but not one accusation has stuck, not a single allegation has been proved; we have always been vindicated, because truth will always triumph.
We can also share another open secret. No matter how legally and logically convincing our defence, and how many cases we win, we will continue to be attacked by forces inimical to peace and progress and because there are always collaborators willing to sell their conscience and their souls to the highest bidder.
Be that as it may, we will continue our crusade for democracy, justice, peace, civil liberties, education and economic progress.
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