Freedom of press in Pakistan “past and present” 2

Freedom of press in Pakistan “past and present”

Sixty-five years of struggle for press freedom “Press is considered to have duty towards the society not only to educate, cultivate and reflect public opinion but also to raise its voice against things, which are wrong and like to hurt the public, their right and welfare. It serves as the watchdog of the society, which keeps an eye on everything, which is going on. Hence, it is considered as sine qua non for a healthy and sane society.”

Background

Pakistan came into existence on 14th august 1947. Quaid-e-Azam became its first governor general had a clear concept press freedom.

He said, “I expect you (journalists) to be completely fearless. If I go wrong for that matter Muslim league goes wrong in any direction. I want you to criticize it honestly as its friend, in fact as one who whose heart is beating with Muslim nation.”

He did not allow legislation to suppress the press. Just one month of his death in September 1948, Public Safety Ordinance was implemented in October.

Introduction

On many occasions since the creation of Pakistan press has been playing a major role it has not only proven itself as the major policy maker as the tool of gathering votes but it has also proven as the body educating masses in Pakistan. Due to this fact media has been controlled and put under influence and it has also chosen by itself to be under influence too.

The foreign intervention has also played a major role on providing a voice to the media in Pakistan which can be seen similarly be seen through the leadership crisis prevailing since 1947 in Pakistan.

The flaws have not only been on the government level but also on the journalistic level where it has proven to have forgotten its social moral code of ethics to perform and guide the just path.

The overall view of freedom of press and media has been repeatedly questioned and way outs such as yellow journalism have found its way in and out time and again in Pakistan. These issues are till this date very much present and effecting the overall structure of our society, this has not allowed the press and media to efficiently do its job although many ordinances and rules have been settled to influence people yet the core change has always been a question being asked by the journalists, government and public that get directly affected by it.

Press freedom and the development of leadership in Pakistan

During the first 7 years of independence from 1947 to1953, 31 newspapers were banned for different time periods including literacy magazines like Naqoosh, Savera and Adab-e-Latif (ZamirNiazi-fettered freedom). Then came Ayub Khan in 1958 with the first marshal law of this country.

Ayub took his first action against Progressive Papers limited (PPL) by taking it over under the security act (1952), which Zamir Niazi said was amended suitably for the purpose. He established the National Press Trust (NPT) in order to ensure the high standards of journalism in Pakistan. This organization turned the PPL papers into the mouthpieces of successive governments.

The NPT owned about 11 newspapers in English, Urdu and Bengali in six major cities of united Pakistan (east and west). In June 1961, the associated press of Pakistan was taken over by the Ayub khan because of its pathetic financial conditions (the agency was even unable to pay the salaries of its employees).

From then on the agency has been used brutally to disseminate the propaganda of government and its functionaries to spread the better image of Pakistan. Since its takeover it is mostly run by PID (press information department) men who sometimes have or have not journalistic knowledge which is necessary to serve the agency.

Even today the managing director of APP is Fazal Ur Rehman, who is a PID man! And due to the persistent managements’ ignorance, Ministry of Information and broadcasting have always been able to dictate APP. He also promulgated the press and publications ordinance and introduced the system of press advice.

Role of democracy and elected leaders for press freedom in Pakistan

 A single phone call from press information department was enough to hype a small issue or to completely drop a news story or photographs that annoyed the government. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto began his Awami raj with the vow of complete press freedom. He began his government by suspending two NPT editors.

He was annoyed by the unbiased political coverage of PPI, Pakistan’s second national news agency and decided to “fix up” the agency’s management. He cancelled the government’s subscription to make the agency suffer from the financial crisis. When he failed to force the agency to follow the official lines he decided to change the agency’s management and give his friend.

Between 1971 and 1977, Bhutto launched a fierce crackdown on journalists and newspapers. Various newspapers were banned and journalists were hounded and insulted (ZamirNiazi – fettered freedom). His policy of nationalization also endangered the freedom of press as the government got the control of 60% of the advertisements. He used them as the tool to force the newspaper to become the tame voice of government.

 Zia ul Haq came with the blackest of the black law, the Press and Publication Ordinance, amended in 1963. This law increased the amount of security deposits from Rs. 10000 to Rs. 30,000.all the handouts and press releases by the government were made necessary to be published by the newspapers and in addition it authorized the government to issue warning to suspend the publication. He also gave the concept of pre- censorship.

Whatever annoyed the government was censored even before the publication. He also gave the idea of self-censorship, which is still haunting our press, as it is something, which is still to be understood by the public of Pakistan. Thai concept has damaged the press even more than pre- censorship He also promulgated the libel act (Pakistan Penal code 499 and 500), which had its root in colonial past.

This act forbade any kind of defamation against any person even if it is true or is in the interest of the public. Thus, depriving press of its right of surveillance and being watchdog of society.1900 is considered the decade because the press started to flourish gradually. The main reason was the ending of Press and Publication Ordinance in Junejo’s time. Many new newspapers came out and made their audiences.

Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto were unable to completely restrict the press because they governed for very small times. But Benazir most prominent act for curtailing the press freedom was to continue her father’s obsession to ruin the PPI. And who can forget the Nawaz Sharif desire of curbing the neck of PTV that changes its opinion according to the party in control.

General Pervaiz Musharraf’s era

Musharraf’s era seem to be a beautiful dream for the freedom of press as he allowed the cable television to run in Pakistan, press can now criticize government and its functionaries more easily. But his Ordinance of 2002 and 2004 for APP seem to be the same way of keeping it under perfect control. This ordinance says that the agency’s Managing director is to be selected by Federal government as well as its budget is to be decided by it.

The point here is that until and unless the MD is selected by federal government, the agency cannot exercise free flow of information except the official version of every event. He has once again promulgated the Press and Publication Ordinance, which is somewhat familiar to the old one.

Now the question for this nation is how long we are going to bare these restrictions on the press in the name of public interest and how long we will take to come out of this transaction face to emerge as mature press. According to me, as General Pervez Musharraf is the great favorer of “moderation and enlighten,” he should leave the press out of governments control and allow the press to make mistakes and learn from them. it is only if the government stops intervening and allow the press to take the responsibility from within and do whatever they want for the public interests.

International Day to End Impunity for Violence against Journalists

At least 42 journalists have been killed in the line of duty in Pakistan in last ten years and 29 of them were deliberately targeted and murdered because of their work.  In 2011 alone, seven journalists were killed in the country.For every journalist who has been deliberately targeted and murdered, there are many others who have been injured, threatened and coerced into silence.

Pakistani journalists are killed, unjustly detained, abducted, beaten and threatened by law enforcement and intelligence agencies, militants, tribal and feudal lords, as well as, somepolitical parties that claim to promote democracy and the rule of law.  Sadly, the perpetrators of violence against journalists and media workers enjoy almost absolute impunity in Pakistan.

Of the 42 journalists killed in the line of duty during these 10 years, 11 were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,  nine from Federally Administrated Tribal Agencies (FATA), eight each from Balochistan and Sindh, four from Punjab and two from the federal capital, Islamabad.

Of the 29 journalists murdered since the year 2002 because of their work, nine werefrom Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, six from Balochistan, five from FATA, six from Sindh, two from Punjab and one from Islamabad. Seventeen of them were shot; six targeted in suicide attacks, one killed in a bomb blast, while eight abducted before murder.

While formal criminal complaints (First Information Reports) were lodged, the murders of media workers were not seriously investigated or prosecuted.  Over the last ten years, the murder of Daniel Pearl, reporter for the US-based Wall Street Journal, was the lone case of murder of journalist in Pakistan where suspects were prosecuted and convicted.  This is why Pakistan is among the list of shame prepared by the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists of those countries that do not investigate and prosecute murders of journalists.

Because of the Afghanistan war and the so called war on terror, areas bordering Afghanistan - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and FATA – are the most dangerous areas for journalists.

Journalists in FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan work under extremely stressful conditions with pressure being wielded by security agencies, militant groups, district administration and tribal leaders. In many instances security agencies or militant organisations require journalists to get ‘clearance’ from them before releasing their new reports.  Journalists from Balochistan, in particular, face violence and threats from security and intelligence agencies, as well as, ethnic, sectarian and separatist groups.

Pakistani journalists are often caught between competing power centers.  For example recently the Balochistan High Court directed journalists not to report news of banned organizations; while these banned organizations exert pressure on local media to give them ‘proper’ coverage.

The alarming increase in violence and threats has forced many journalists to migrate from these danger zones.  According to some estimates, one-third of FATA journalists has already moved to other areas or gave up the profession.

Pressure and intimidation has forced the journalists to adopt a self-censorship, particularly in the conflict areas.  Because of this self-censorship, the reports emanating from the conflict areas about military action by Pakistani law enforcement agencies, drone attacks by the US forces or attacks by militants are based on press releases and not on observations by independent journalists. 

Thus, not only human dimensions or horrors of the war being fought in Pakistan are absent from media, but reports that are published or broadcast also lack credibility.  This has hindered the development of consensus on the path Pakistan should take to steer the country out of the crisis facing it for last three decades.

Role of press organizations in the struggle to have Press freedom in Pakistan

Free media is essential to democracy in Pakistan as it promotes transparency and accountability, a prerequisite of sustained economic uplift. The impunity enjoyed by those who attack journalists is seriously hampering press freedom in Pakistan and all stakeholders, including media organisations, the government and civil society should join hands to devise some mechanisms for ensuring safety of working journalists. 

Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) recommends the following steps to control the alarming rise in violence against media, and to end impunity for those who attack journalists and media workers:

1.        Criminal cases should be registered, investigated and prosecuted against the perpetrators of violence against media.

2.       2. An independent commission comprising professional media organisations, CSOs, press freedom and human rights organisations and professional bodies of lawyers should be established for monitoring criminal investigations and legal follow-up of cases of violence and intimidation of journalists.

3.       3. Local, national and international print, electronic and online media should ensure long-term follow up of cases of assault on media organisations and workers.

4.       4. Journalists should be provided with safety and first aid trainings and guidance on how to report in hostile environment. Journalists working in conflict areas should also be provided with guidance in recognizing and dealing with stress and post-traumatic stress.  

5.       5. Safety equipments including bulletproof jackets and medical kits should be given to journalists covering the conflicts.

6.       6. Threats and attacks can be reduced to some extent by adopting a professional approach and impartial and unbiased reporting.  Journalists, especially those in rural areas, should be imparted trainings on writing skills, language proficiency, editing and interviewing techniques to enhance their capabilities.

7.       7. Employers should provide journalists life and medical insurance and also compensation in case of death or injury related to their work. As Pakistani journalists are victims of circumstances that are both local and global in nature, the government should also compensate to the families of journalists, killed in the line of duty.

8.       8. Proper medical treatment, including treatment abroad, should be provided to media workers who have been subjected to violence.

9.       9. In addition to compensation by employers and government, funds should be set up for families of journalists who had been murdered or injured.  These funds could be operated by the immediate families of the victimized journalists.

10.   10. There is need to for media organisations to develop ‘operating procedures’ with law enforcement agencies that will allow journalists to cover the conflict situations with greater safety.

11.   11. Arrangements should be made in all major cities to provide refuge and safe houses for the journalists who are forced to leave their homes so that they can live and work in safer cities.

12.   12. Media organisations should interact with all stakeholders including government departments, political parties and groups and security agencies to develop strategies that promote safety of journalists and other media workers.

13.   13. Employers should give journalists facing threats the option of transferring them to safer cities for extended periods of time.  The remunerations during these periods should be based on the actual living expenses in these cities, which are generally higher than rural areas.

14.   14. At times, insensitive and misinformed editors push their reporters and photojournalists into the situations where they have to put their life and well-being at risk for getting the stories. There is a need to create awareness and sensitizing the owners of the media organizations, as well as, those who are working on desk to realize the ground realities and threats being faced by the journalists working in fields especially in conflict areas.

Some international media organisations do provide proper safety trainings and equipment to their correspondents; however, journalists working for international media organisations as stringers or on freelance basis in remote areas of FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan do not receive adequate training or support. 

As reporting for international media carries greater risk for these stringers, these organisations should provide security training and support, as well as, life and medical insurance for their stringers and freelancers working in conflict area.

Conclusion

There is a mushrooming growth of print and electronic media in Pakistan which provides all sort of social and psychological gratification to the audience. However, this proliferation of media is meaningless, particularly, when there is an absence of access to information, and rules and regulations controlling media freedom.

Pakistan 's print and electronic media are not pluralistic as they are mostly restricted to the major cities and prominent people. Mostly media contents are related to politicians, political candidates, Ministers, leading federal and provincial officials, alleged and actual violators. Only 5% coverage relates to the unknown, these are strikers, protestors, victims and rioters.

Major topics in the media include, Government conflicts, disagreements, decisions, proposals, and ceremonies; protest, violence, crime, scandal, disaster and investigations . The upper-middle class is over-represented than the middle and lower middle class . Some ethnic groups are portrayed in a stereotypical and prejudiced manner . Most often women are shown in inferior roles, for example, “male is the doctor and female is the nurse.”

Successive governments expressed kind words for freedom of the press but often turned their back when things publish that irritate the ruling classes and consequently the press is reprimanded. The important fact that makes Government dominant on the press self-sufficiency is the 33% of the Government advertisements, which are always used as leverage to control media contents. This leverage has considerably affected the watchdog journalism phenomena in the country. The state run broadcast TV and radio channels act as a propaganda tool of the government and using their domination in terrestrial and national radio frequency.

Pakistan 's place in the Reporters Sans Frontiers - Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index, is 152 out of a total of 167 for the year 2007 is disgraceful for a country having nuclear power and population of about 16 hundred million. Let hope for the best from the newly Pakistan People's Party to ensure a realistic freedom of the press in the country.