The Other View

By Amir Zia

Monthly Newsline
July 2019

A slightly truncated version of this article was published in 'Monthly Newsline'.
https://newslinemagazine.com/magazine/the-other-view/

Surprisingly, it was under Gen. (R) Pervez Musharraf that the Pakistani media saw an unprecedented boom. The electronic media witnessed expansion, as he allowed private news and entertainment channels to open shop... At the insistence of Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, his information minister at the time, the military ruler also allowed cross-media ownership – a controversial decision that lead to the hegemony of select media tycoons. 

Is press freedom on the retreat in Pakistan? Are these the worst of times for those holding dissenting views in this land of the pure? Are visible and invisible hands out to gag the mainstream media?

A small, but influential group of individuals, including some prominent journalists, rights activists and frontline politicians, would like us to believe that the press remains under siege in the country. They claim that an unannounced censorship is at work and fear grip the media, as the number of red lines continue to increase. Similar views are echoed by the western media, which covers Pakistan in a superficial manner, and various foreign journalist organisations.

The local and the foreign critics feed one another to create an exaggerated and misleading impression about the alleged ‘sorry’ state of media and lack of press freedom in Pakistan.

Then, there are those who say that all is well and the Pakistani media enjoys an unprecedented level of freedom even to distort facts, push various political agendas, present half-truths and, sometimes, spew lies. According to this school of thought, the media remains overwhelmingly sensational: fake news and toxic arguments on social media are an example of the ‘limitless’ freedom of expression in the country.

Between these two extremes, lies a middle ground where one finds the situation neither that gloomy nor ideal enough to merit celebrations.

Absolute freedom of expression is a concept that is constantly being redefined, depending on the social, economic and political conditions of a country. A single yardstick cannot be applied universally.

Despite all the challenges of Pakistan’s struggling and flawed democracy, backward socio-economic order, conservative orientation and deeply religious roots, its media is vibrant, diverse, bold and candid.

It amplifies the voices of rights activists, ethnic groups, the oppressed classes and most religious minorities.

However, this remains an altogether different debate that genuine issues get trounced by sensational political statements, which dominate news channels and newspapers. But despite many flaws and skewed priorities, today the press in Pakistan is not in chains.        

Broadly speaking, there are two main yardsticks with which press freedom can be measured: historical and regional. The other finer details vary from country to country and region to region.    

Historically, press freedom has made huge strides in Pakistan since the country’s creation. Long gone are the days of the Press & Publication Ordinance (PPO) of 1962 that empowered the government to seize newspapers, shutdown media organisations and arrest journalists and editors.

The decade of the ‘70s, which witnessed dismemberment of Pakistan and the rise and fall of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto -- our first and, so far, the last civilian martial law administrator – proved far from ideal, despite the presence of a democratically elected government. Bhutto opted for high-handed actions against dissenting voices, from political opponents to poets, writers and journalists. But it was the former military ruler, Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, who added more bite to the PPO in 1980s, empowering the authorities to prosecute publishers if published news was not to the government’s likings. During the Zia era, censorship was tough, brutal and direct. His regime did not hesitate to lash journalists and put them behind the bars.

After Zia’s sudden death and the return of democracy in 1988, the media started to open up. The notorious PPO was revised, but successive elected governments and various political, ethnic and religious parties continued to target the press and take high-handed actions against newspapers and journalists. For instance, in his second stint in power, Nawaz Sharif used the might of state machinery to punish a critical media and arrest journalists. 

Surprisingly, it was under Gen. Pervez Musharraf that the Pakistani media saw an unprecedented boom. The electronic media witnessed expansion, as he allowed private news and entertainment channels and radio stations to open shop. At the insistence of Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, his information minister at that time, the military ruler also allowed cross-media ownership -- a controversial decision as it created hegemonies of select media tycoons.  

Ironically, the media liberalization and openness eventually contributed to Musharraf’s own fall, during his confrontation with the judiciary. His half-hearted attempts to muzzle select media outlets during the peak of the lawyers’ movement proved too little and too late. The media contributed in destabilizing his government.

After the 2008 general elections and to date, media managed to guard its turf despite many ups and downs, taking on successive governments and the mighty state institutions. Some media organisations carried out organized propaganda against the Pakistan Armed Forces and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). But maligning of state institutions is not allowed and tolerated even in the most open democracies.

This resulted into on- and off- tiff between the state institutions and some media groups, leading to the blocking of their transmission and putting in place of obstacles in newspaper distribution.

The impasse between state institutions and some media groups was aggravated due to the non-implementation of libel and defamation laws and higher judiciary’s benevolent attitude towards the press. In the absence of legal recourse and an established code of conduct within the media organisations, there was hardly any independent platform where any aggrieved party could turn for a fair hearing and dispute resolution. The regulator proved too weak and politically influenced to carry out this task. 

Yet the Pakistani media operates in a freer atmosphere compared to past decades. Yes, there are problems, obstacles and even setbacks, but the media has expanded its boundaries. Many subjects, once taboo, are now openly discussed and debated. There are hardly any holy cows left; be it the government or state institutions, all are under the microscope.

There are, however, cultural and religious sensitivities that have to be taken into account. Pakistani journalists operate in an altogether different world compared to their counterparts say in the Western Europe or the United States. Several social and religious issues, while kosher in the West, are either discussed in a hushed manner in Pakistan, or seen from a different perspective because of the country’s religious moorings and its semi-tribal and semi-feudal roots.   

As Pakistan remains engaged in its longest internal war against terrorism, since 2001-02, and has hostile eastern and western frontiers, there are conflict areas where the media faces obstacles in reporting. Any state, faced by such internal and external threats, takes measures which are not a norm in times of peace.

However, with the passage of time, Pakistani press has expanded its boundaries. Its record compared to the other regional countries also stands out.

The Pakistani press is less jingoistic, more diverse and aggressive in questioning those in power compared to its counterparts in India -- touted as the world’s largest democracy. Pakistanis should be proud that while the Indian media overwhelmingly promotes the government and the state narrative without questioning, the Pakistani media does the complete opposite.

Similarly, if the condition of press freedom in Pakistan is compared to its two western neighbours – Iran and Afghanistan – and the one in the north, our great friend China, we stand head and shoulder above them all.

Out of more than 50 Muslim countries, including democracies such as Turkey, Bangladesh and Egypt, there is more freedom of expression in Pakistan. Its scorecard is also better than the Far Eastern countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia as well as secular countries like Singapore and South Korea.

Pakistani press is indeed on the march. Yet, the press has a long way to go. While expanding boundaries of freedom is an endless business, the media should also review itself critically and overcome short-comings and unprofessionalism in its ranks. Only an objective, fair, balanced and factual media will be able to keep expanding its boundaries.

ENDs