Unfortunate
incidents and attacks
By Qudsia Hali
The
unfortunate incident of the assaults on media practitioners makes Pakistan a
dangerous place for practicing journalism. Fifty four journalists have been
killed in Pakistan since 1992, which is a fairly high number but does not tell
the whole picture since more than a hundred were injured in various attacks.
The dastardly assail on columnist and anchor person Hamid Mir in Karachi
however drew tremendous attention and his own parent media group, despite the
remorse and condemnation expressed by all sections of the society, kept up the
hype. Only a month earlier, another renowned journalist Raza Rumi was attacked
in Lahore, he escaped with minor injuries but lost his driver in the attack.
The same media group of Hamid Mir only made a passing reference to the attack
on Raza Rumi and treated it as a non event. Media houses are charged with
presenting news in an objective and unbiased manner.
All types of terror attacks, merit
condemnation and create a deep sense of remorse and grief for all segments of
society. In the past twelve years, ever since Pakistan became an ally of the
global war on terror, the Pakistani society has become a prime target for
terror attacks. More than fifty thousand innocent lives have been sacrificed in
this incessant war. The casualty list includes the armed forces, the law
enforcing agencies, students, teachers, women, children, judges, lawyers and
persons from all walks of life. Every death is the loss of a precious life and
must be mourned but the resilience of the nation is commendable that it has not
buckled under the heinous assaults, which would have crippled any other
society.
Journalists indeed face the brunt of
the terror attacks since they occupy the front seat in the unfolding gory drama
of death and destruction launched by a faceless enemy, who strikes with
impunity and hides among common folk. The sad aftermath of the Hamid Mir
incident is that nary a moment had passed since the occurrence of the odious
deed that his own brother and media group came out strongly alleging the ISI to
be responsible for the act and demanding the resignation of the Director
General of ISI. If Hamid Mir’s brother or his parent organization, the Jang
Group had any evidence linking any individual or organization to the crime, the
best recourse would have been to resort to the judicial process. An FIR could
be lodged naming the prime suspect and proof if any should have been shared
only with investigating officials, rather than the media group instantly
assuming the role of judge, jury and executioner, all rolled into one.
The ISI, or for that matter any other
national institution, which acts under the supervision of the government,
merits respect and not becoming the target of baseless allegations on public
forum. The nation and the media have been in the forefront in the struggle for
achieving media freedom. Numerous sacrifices have been rendered to unchain the
Press and operate under an unfettered environment. The Jang group has been a
major part of the struggle for freedom of expression. The operative lesson is
that one’s own freedom is valid only if it respects the freedom of others. The
ceaseless barrage of unverified and unconfirmed accusations through the
powerful electronic and print media created a tension in the minds of the
common people. When a powerful media group attacks a respected national
institution, which forms the bulwark for the defence of the sovereignty of
Pakistan and which has had its fair share of trial and tribulations, especially
the attacks by its arch rival and enemies of Pakistan, who have tried to
denigrate the ISI and reduce the confidence of the masses on this premier institution,
then it leaves the people bewildered. ISI is a thorn in the side of India, as
it has time and again thwarted frontal and oblique assaults by our hostile
eastern neighbour. ISI has crossed swords with the Indian spy agency RAW, the
US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Israeli Mossad, whenever they have
tried to invade the psychological and sovereign boundaries of Pakistani
intellect. Any tirade coming from them to disparage and malign the ISI is to be
blocked and countered but when a renowned national media group takes it upon
itself to belittle a national institution, which was created with sweat, toil
and blood and has become a guardian of the people, then one is left wondering,
whose game is the Jang Group playing? No wonder that Indian media sources
pounced upon the opportunity to attack their favourite Pakistani institution,
the ISI. Indian government, media and analysts have found it opportune to blame
ISI for any incident on their soil. Be it the Mumbai Attack or terror assaults,
reportedly self-inflicted ones, ISI has been blamed without an iota of
evidence. When the Jang Group, which is running collaboration with an Indian
media group, titled “Aman ki Asha”, leads the battering of a Pakistani national
institution, its credentials to be a bona fide Pakistani institution is
definitely becomes questionable. The ISI has responded by approaching the PEMRA
through the Ministry of Defence to question the onslaught against it by the
Jang group, which was the rational approach. Other media sources came out in
defence of the national institution. Like any other government organization,
the ISI too may have its share of rogues but the system of its internal
accountability is such that they get weeded out. If the Jang Group has any
notions of being a king maker, which can topple governments and disparage
national institutions according to its own whims, then it should think twice.
This nation has not sacrificed its lives in vain to let the custodians of its
sovereignty be ridiculed and sneered upon by those who have numerous skeletons
hiding in their cupboard. The government itself should stop being an innocent
bystander in the episode of ISI bashing at the hands of a media house and let
the judicial process take its full course.
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