Pakistani Jack Shit Media and Probe into Assassination of Benazir Bhutto
Those who made a comeback to idiot box (and now I know for which idiosyncratic content it is named idiot box) through opening up of media by PPP govt. were chewing their words and cursing PPP govt. for heaven knows what.
Pakistan media and in particular electronic media has proven to be a shame thus far. Myopic analysis, picking non-issues, talking about them, and then talking about why non-issues have been given so much hype. It first happened in case of Kashmir Singh and then again in the case of Dr. Niazi and Arbab Ghulam Rahim. First media spent hours and hours on projecting these as big issues and then (when after Dr. Niazi's issue, the buck was passed to their "beloved ones") talking about why on earth is there so much hue and cry about these issues. Irrespective of the talk of heroic rule the media has played in bringing about the "change", my opinion all along has been that Pakistani media is a jack-shit (for lack of any other suitable word). And what change are we talking about, the reality is that the national agenda, even today, has been held hostage by an issue of urban educated Punjabis which has no backing of any other part of Pakistan except lawyers. Just when the need is to focus on strengthening of parliament, devising a framework for a unified judicial system, combating the menace of religious extremism through national consensus, and cleaning the constitutional and economic mess of last 8 years, our attention has been diverted to non-issues like restoration of judiciary.
Just when Pakistan is facing the crisis of its existence at the hand of anti-state extremists and on the other through ever-growing ethnic and nationalist rifts, instead of highlighting those issues and playing its rule, our media is focussed on count-down. Iftikhar Chaudhary was removed, it was sad - actions of November 3rd, even more sad. But none of this compares, in magnitude, to the tragedy of assassination of Benazir Bhutto. An assassination which has jolted the ever shaking foundations of our state. I have not seen any talk on a need to have a thorough probe into BB's assassination (except one by Nusrat Javed and that too with Khurshid Kasuri as an expert).
PPP is trying to have a UN probe into BB's killing. I support this probe for this has likelihood of exposing the hidden hands of oppression. More than that, I believe this probe will expose the exploitative racket which has not only held Pakistan hostage but also the entire Middle East for decades and centuries. The racket which feels threatened by a democratic, hetro-sectarian, muslim majority, progressive Pakistan moving with the modern world as a role model for people of other countries of the region. A racket that will be happy with arrangements of tyrannies, exploitation and suppression of thought in the name of religion and religious conservatism, and Amir-ul-momineeni arrangements. Amidst all the talk of NRO and compromises, some journalist should at least ask "the beloved one of media" what he feels about his attempted 15th amendment?
Pakistani and regional establishment is going to fight tooth and nail to prevent a UN prob, if you are the revolutionary that you preach to be, instead of uttering sermons in Bolta Pakistan and Capital Talk Shalk, come strengthen those who demand a probe into the killing of hope for Pakistan and the region.
Pakistan media and in particular electronic media has proven to be a shame thus far. Myopic analysis, picking non-issues, talking about them, and then talking about why non-issues have been given so much hype. It first happened in case of Kashmir Singh and then again in the case of Dr. Niazi and Arbab Ghulam Rahim. First media spent hours and hours on projecting these as big issues and then (when after Dr. Niazi's issue, the buck was passed to their "beloved ones") talking about why on earth is there so much hue and cry about these issues. Irrespective of the talk of heroic rule the media has played in bringing about the "change", my opinion all along has been that Pakistani media is a jack-shit (for lack of any other suitable word). And what change are we talking about, the reality is that the national agenda, even today, has been held hostage by an issue of urban educated Punjabis which has no backing of any other part of Pakistan except lawyers. Just when the need is to focus on strengthening of parliament, devising a framework for a unified judicial system, combating the menace of religious extremism through national consensus, and cleaning the constitutional and economic mess of last 8 years, our attention has been diverted to non-issues like restoration of judiciary.
Just when Pakistan is facing the crisis of its existence at the hand of anti-state extremists and on the other through ever-growing ethnic and nationalist rifts, instead of highlighting those issues and playing its rule, our media is focussed on count-down. Iftikhar Chaudhary was removed, it was sad - actions of November 3rd, even more sad. But none of this compares, in magnitude, to the tragedy of assassination of Benazir Bhutto. An assassination which has jolted the ever shaking foundations of our state. I have not seen any talk on a need to have a thorough probe into BB's assassination (except one by Nusrat Javed and that too with Khurshid Kasuri as an expert).
PPP is trying to have a UN probe into BB's killing. I support this probe for this has likelihood of exposing the hidden hands of oppression. More than that, I believe this probe will expose the exploitative racket which has not only held Pakistan hostage but also the entire Middle East for decades and centuries. The racket which feels threatened by a democratic, hetro-sectarian, muslim majority, progressive Pakistan moving with the modern world as a role model for people of other countries of the region. A racket that will be happy with arrangements of tyrannies, exploitation and suppression of thought in the name of religion and religious conservatism, and Amir-ul-momineeni arrangements. Amidst all the talk of NRO and compromises, some journalist should at least ask "the beloved one of media" what he feels about his attempted 15th amendment?
Pakistani and regional establishment is going to fight tooth and nail to prevent a UN prob, if you are the revolutionary that you preach to be, instead of uttering sermons in Bolta Pakistan and Capital Talk Shalk, come strengthen those who demand a probe into the killing of hope for Pakistan and the region.
Comments