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Media under attack

By WAHEED HUSSAIN

Last Saturday was another black day for journalists. Islamabad police and other law enforcement agencies assaulted them with full force when they were busy covering lawyers’ protest against the Supreme Court decision dismissing various petitions against President Musharraf and scrutiny of the presidential candidates’ papers in Election Commission. 
The tragedy took place on the Constitutional Avenue, rather violating the constitution itself, which under Article 19 ensures the freedom of press. The article reads, “ Every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of press…” The shameful event was a slap on the face of present government, which always speaks louder for giving the media freedom. It would be quite difficult to determine whether the horrific act was pre-designed or the government patience ran out after watching live visuals of a police repression against the protesting lawyers. 
Those live pictures telecast both within and outside the country must have prompted the government to prevent the media from covering the event to save itself from great embarrassment. Whatever was the reason the government should have demonstrated sanity and patience. But unfortunately use of force is the well-known weapon in the hands of any government to prevent the smooth flow of information. This brutality has not served the government cause rather it has proved another scar on the face of this government. There is no doubt that it was a shut-up call to the media, specially the private TV channels that they should not telecast any material, which is against the interest of government? Is government frustrated and nervous because most of the private channels do not operate like the state media, where often facts and important information is filtered and presented in distorted manner. 
The government frustration is well understood from the live coverage of important national issues by private TV channels in the last seven months. It has exposed the government’s wrong policies and uncalculated decisions. The coverage of the lawyers’ movement against the removal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary, the CJ’s manhandling and live reporting of the 12th May violence in Karachi had put the government on the defensive. The government with all its efforts bitterly failed to hide facts from the public. 
All these events damaged President Musharraf’s popularity. Even the president himself in a TV interview expressed his annoyance and said media had played a negative role during the lawyers’ movement. Ultimately the government reacted and banned the live reporting and current affairs programs regarding the CJ’s visits to various bars in the country and lawyers movement for quite some time. Most of the TV channels were issued notices and warned of stern action if they could not follow the PEMRA instructions. Not only the government’s spin-doctors were advising the top leadership of introducing more harsh laws to shackle media. But the media continued its struggle against possible restrictions from government. 
The man at the top must be given credit for allowing the private TV channels and Radio stations to operate in the country. However, at the same time the violence against the journalist community has also seen upward trend in the past few years. We have witnessed cold-blooded murders, kidnappings and threats to the journalists. Such intimidation was meant to prevent the journalists from exposing the illegal and unconstitutional acts of the mafias operating in the society. 
Media is the fourth pillar of the state. It is the responsibility of other three state institutions, government, opposition and the civil society to protect it. If the government through the use of force tries to hide the truth, ultimately it will damage its own credibility. The government should show patience, maturity, magnanimity and broad-mindedness to digest the positive and constructive criticism and factual reporting. Training guns at the media will not serve any purpose. After the presidential elections the country will be moving towards general elections, where the media will again play an important role. Therefore, we hope and expect that rulers will not repeat the Saturday episode and create an environment where the journalists will perform their professional duties without any fear.