Shrinking media space

Fearing the government’s endeavour to bring media to heel through the enforcement of regressive Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMDA), the media organisations-- APNS, CPNE, PBA, Association of Director News and Executive Editors of Electronic Media-- are up in arms to the move and have launched an effective and bold media campaign against the proposed Authority. They are unanimous in their calculations considering it as yet another concerted effort to subjugate the media freedom and freedom of speech notwithstanding its stature as the fundamental right of the citizens, according to the Article 19 of the Constitution. The PMDA, if promulgated in the form as projected, may be judged as the replica of Press and Publication Ordinance of (1962) of General Ayub Khan entailing similar punitive actions against media encompassing the imprisonment of media persons on specious grounds, suspension or termination of license of media outfits, harsh financial penalties, periodic renewal of licenses with heavy financial implications etc.

PMDA’s obvious incompatibility with the Article 19 of the Constitution may point to the deliberate attempt to fail the purpose of the Constitution. The stringent measures contained in the PMDA may surely also eat into the vitals of democracy and democratic conventions because without the freedom of media the democratic dispensation will sound mere rhetoric riddled with empty words. Free press is intrinsically considered as sine qua non for the functioning democracy. But, the incumbent leadership’s consistent tone-deaf treatment meted out to media may cast aspersions on the ‘highbred system’ altogether with insinuation like an elephant in the room undermining the doctrine of trichotomy of power. This may not bode well as the leadership is seemingly allergic of forging the national unity even when challenges are overwhelming both within and without.

The Supreme Court’s Acting Chief Justice’s reported remarks were very much reassuring for the media made during the hearing of petition filed by the Press Association of the Supreme Court regarding the harassment and intimidation of journalists by state agencies. The Acting Chief justice observed, ‘the journalists enjoy protection of Article 18, Article 19-A and Article 19 and violation of these articles raised serious questions of public importance attracting the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court’. The other judges of the bench also in their observations stated the freedom of media was of utmost importance in the constitutional dispensation of Pakistan. Sadly, the government’s appetite to stifle the media seemingly had plumbed to the depths of silencing the voice of dissent totally considering it as probable threat to the regime. Whereas, the true democratic leadership takes freedom of media as an asset that helps in the improvement of governance by criticizing the bad decisions to address the shortcomings to improve the delivery of services to the citizens. The government in its calculations feels free media may be catalytic to derail government’s focus forcing it get engaged in trivialities at the expense of smooth governance. This mindset seemingly has hurt the media-government relations to the core, unfortunately. Resultantly, the media is unhappy with the government and therefore standing on the other side of the equation raising its voice against PMDA. The playing out of the imposing but convincing advertisement in the media against PMDA requesting the prime minister to intervene is something extraordinary and exceptional that may be taken as such warranting prudent approach to resolve the crisis. These are palm-face moment for the government emphasising the need of undergoing a paradigm shift.

The apparent policy of railing at the media may surely hurt the democratic credentials of the ruling party as well those are not so laudable in the first place. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan Bar Council, Amnesty International, credible international media organisations have been highlighting time and again the incidents of harassment and intimidation of the journalists but all have fallen on deaf years. The media landscape of the country is undauntedly facing gory pressures of the culpable nature of the government agencies in perpetuity. But, no incumbent has been held accountable ensuing in more such incidents in an atmosphere of permeation of impunity. Impunity leads to more violence against the journalists and against the media as a whole. The deluge of criticism from all directions of the ruling leadership may not be misplaced that calls for the serious introspection by the official circles preceded by course-correction to create an enabling environment for the media men. Ironically, the lack of political will to make the things better is missing.

However, media will survive and thrive eventually but its opponents of today may be identified as those who erected barriers to thwart its development. The government may realize the obtaining dangerous situation and avail itself the opportunity at the earliest of reaching out to the stakeholders to evolve consensus to resolve the brewing crisis entailing far more serious implications for all. Ruling elite may take initiative without losing more time to ovoid itself of standing on the wrong side of the history.

How embarrassing that Pakistan has slid from 139 to 145 on the World Ranking of Press Freedom that speaks volumes in the face of the official spokespersons repeated assertions claiming the media is free in the country. It may be judged as bland-face lie. The international Federation of journalists has ranked Pakistan as the fifth most dangerous country for the practice of journalism, adding that 138 media persons lost their lives during (1990-2020) while the rate of conviction remained miserably negligible. This year (2021) three journalist have lost their lives and no culprit has been arrested like in the past. The familiar practices of threats of state elements to journalist have been continuing, though sporadically. The press is coerced into censorship, anti-government information is made to twist to suit the convenience of the quarters, and media outlets are threatened with the cut of their revenues if they defy not toeing the line.

The situation had come to this unfortunate pass that the EU had passed a resolution with overwhelming majority threatening to review the GSP+ facility given to Pakistan due to the shrinking of space for the media along with growing religious intolerance. Make no mistake; the GSP+ facility entailed tariff concessions to Pakistan in the EU market accruing the competitive edge for Pakistani exporters against exporters of other countries. The resolution could be damming and consequential if the facility was to be withdrawn with devastating consequences to our textile industry that constituted major component of our exports contributing handsomely in the foreign exchange earnings to bridge the foreign account deficit that had been generally tattering on the brink. The textile sector was probably the second largest sector after agriculture that absorbed the labour force notwithstanding its major contribution to the country’s GDP.

It still remained unburied in memory of the people when the top stalwarts of the ruling party used to profess at the top of their vocal chord in favour of freedom of media and freedom of speech with the promise to bring it at par with the developed democracies of the world. The leadership quite clearly faulted in this count like the other tall promises— creation of ten million job opportunities, construction of million housing units, digging out of buried reserves of gold and copper in Balochistan, restoration of the dignity of Pakistani passport-- made before coming to the power. The PTI leadership should be beholden to the media as it immensely benefitted from the then free speech and media environment. Media accorded undisruptive live coverage to the political rallies and month’s long sit-in. The resultant accumulation of the political capital paved way to the corridors of power for the PTI though with the alleged surreptitious support of the Establishment on the Election Day, in particular. What to speak of granting more freedom to media, the incumbent government had been on the trajectory to grind it down in uniformity since it came to power. How typical, the TV channels were barred to telecast live speeches of the opposition leaders and those violated the instructions were penalised by way of imposing heavy fines or changing their position to reduce their viewing thus hurting their revenues, interviews put off the air just before the scheduled time, their revenue stream was disrupted drastically by denying them government commercial advertisements and even of the private sector. A prominent media personality was put behind the bars for many months, seemingly intended to give message to others as well to mend their ways or else be ready to face the similar consequences. Whimsical, arbitrary, autocratic and revengeful exercise of power is the worst practice that the people holding coveted position should avoid for the good of the people and more so for the undertakers.

muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com