Sumit Bhargav
Everyone hates criticism, but Pakistan Government has taken its aversion to independent media to a different level. Even though economy is in tatters, inflation sky high and population left to fend for itself, Pakistan Government is taking all possible steps to gag media.
The latest incident which has attracted worldwide condemnation is the attack on journalist Asad Ali Toor at his home in the country’s capital Islamabad. By most accounts, Toor is known to be an independent minded journalist who does not hesitate in criticising the ‘Establishment’.
Adding insult to injury, Pakistan’s popular news anchor Hamid Mir was taken off air after he raised concern about the safety of his media colleagues, following the attack on Asad Ali Toor.
The attack on Toor is the latest in a series of incidents which has contributed further to the insecure and unsafe atmosphere for media, which for its pivotal role of showcasing the truth is called the fourth pillar of democracy in progressive countries like India. In July 2020, prominent television journalist Matiullah Jan was abducted in Islamabad, assaulted and released after 12 hours. In April, another Islamabad based journalist Absar Alam was shot in his stomach. Iquiries have been launched but no action has taken place to make culprits accountable.
Sponsored troll armies baselessly accuse journalists of fake news and threaten them with rape and murder.
In fact, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in a ‘White Paper on Global Journalism’ listed five countries, including Pakistan, as the ‘Most Dangerous Countries for Practice of Journalism in the World’. 138 journalists have been killed in Pakistan since 1990.
Ironically, Toor was attacked just days after Pak cabinet approved a journalists’ protection bill which would help Pakistan retain its GSP-plus trading status with the EU. Now, Pakistan Government is trying to push through the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) Ordinance 2021, dubbed as ‘media martial law’ by activists.
Media outlets will need annual NOCs to remain operational, and would be subject to suspension and arbitrary fees and penalties, with no onus on the government to provide warning or rationales for clampdowns.
The PMDA also calls for media tribunals to ensure swift punishment to journalists for violating the new rules.
So much for ‘Media Development’!
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