The News on Sunday, November 11, 2007
Almost simultaneous with the proclamation of emergency was the closure of independent news channels on television, including international channels. The same day the president promulgated an ordinance to amend the press, newspapers, news agencies and Books Registration Ordinance, 2002. Beside other things, it barred the media from printing any material, printed or graphic, that defames, brings into ridicule or disrepute the Head of State, or members of the Armed Forces or executive, judicial or legislative organs of the State.
In the crackdown in the following days, journalists doing their duty were rounded up, manhandled, and even handcuffed. Director HRCP I.A. Rehman and Secretary General Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists comment on the situation.
'It's a coup against the people'
TNS: Do you agree with the Code of Conduct for media that the government seeks?
I.A. Rehman: It has been our consistent stand that the Code of Conduct must not have any involvement of the government. Code of Conduct everywhere is voluntary. Even in the time of Ayub Khan, there was a Press Council and a Press Code managed by the editors. If people or the government had a complaint, it was to be rectified by those bodies.
It goes without saying that media reports; it does not create situations. Even if the media is shut, the situation remains. It is therefore foolish to curb media. It is actually the other way round because the situation aggravates in the absence of an independent media. Our stance has always been that in martial laws and autocracies, things are kept secret which leads to great losses. We know from our experience that after the ten years of Ayub Khan's rule, we lost East Pakistan because we did not know what exactly was happening in that part. While in democracies, information is available.
TNS: What about the charge that media sensationalises?
IAR: You see sometimes there is also managed reporting. But these are issues which can be solved in a civilian atmosphere.
TNS: Journalists are saying that this is a coup against judiciary and media while some lawyers think it is only directed against judiciary?
IAR: You see the real target of this coup have been the people of Pakistan. If they do not get a good government, they suffer. Then there is no democracy without judiciary. As for the media, it has been attacked so that people cannot formulate their own opinion by getting all the information.
The government is not against Geo or Aaj as such but against what they are doing -- to inform people and let them decide what to do. This is a way to put a stop to democratic process. So democracy is the real target. All these are pillars of democracy.
'The government is divided'
TNS: You've just come back from a meeting with the Ministry of Information. Was there any progress?
Mazhar Abbas: No, not really. They've told us that they will seriously consider our concerns and demands regarding immediate withdrawal of the two ordinances, the restarting of channels, and action against those police officers who manhandled the journalists. We told them that we are important stakeholders while they've engaged with the owners and broadcasters only. We told them that if our demands are met, we'll call off the protests. Otherwise we'll go as per our announced plans.
TNS: Do you think your demands will be met?
MA: Apparently the government seems divided on the issue. Our reading is that the political people in the government see this as a problem because they can't go into the election by being unpopular with the media.
TNS: Are the owners in touch with you?
MA: Yes they are. Though we really think that this is a united battle and we should leave our individual interests behind at this juncture.
TNS: Do you see this as a coup against the judiciary or against judiciary and media both?
MA: This is both judiciary and media specific. In fact it is targeting the civil society -- lawyers, media everybody. In this meeting the government side regretted the way I.A.Rehman and Imtiaz Alam were arrested.
TNS: What about the charges that the media was sensationalising or overdoing things?
MA: We as journalists realise that much more seriously than everybody else. But what is acceptable or not is for all of us to sit together and define and decide. The charge that the media defames the government is very tricky because the media had also launched a campaign against Benazir. Even Nawaz Sharif can claim to have been defamed. If there is defamation, there are laws which should be invoked. If those laws are not good enough, they can be improved.
It's a new-born media, these private channels. How can you expect a newborn child to act like a mature person. Also, the role of media has been seen in different lights. Its role during the earthquake was appreciated.
-- Farah Zia
