Note
by the Editor: Last week the Inter Services Agency (ISI)
of General Musharraf kidnapped the Deputy Opposition Leader of
Punjab Assembly, Rana Sanaullah Khan, beat him blue and black,
shaved half of his head and half of his moustache and abandoned
him on a deserted road, all for criticizing the Army Generals.
In
another move the bold and brave Lahore newspaper "Weekly
Independent" was directly threatened with a senior official
warning the publisher: "Enough is Enough".
This
is the kind of democracy General Musharraf wants in Pakistan and
calls it "The True Democracy".
We
strongly condemn the two attacks and reproduce here the charge
sheet against the Musharraf regime, written by the Weekly
Independent. Please Click at the link below to read Benazir
Bhutto's statement and the Press Release issued by the New York-based
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemning the attack on
Press Freedom.
Enough
is enough!
SO
WENT a story told by great poet and philosopher Maulana Jalaluddin
Rumi: "There were two travellers. As they were passing through
a forest, a grizzly bear joined them. He would not leave them
and followed them everywhere.
One
of the travellers also drew close to him. His companion told him
it wasn't wise to be too close to the beast. But he ignored his
advice, dismissing it as a sign of jealousy. Finally the two travellers
parted. The bear by now had strengthened his friendship with the
man, following him everywhere like a shadow.
One
afternoon as he rested under a tree, the loyal bear stood guard
over his friend. He waved his mighty arms over the sleeping man's
head to brush away flies. But the flies were swarming around him
like moths around a lamp. By now the bear was getting very angry
with the flies. In a fit of rage, he flung a stone at them, and
in doing his sincere service, smashed his friend's head.
Words of sages are
for us to take light from. Punjab, as is Pakistan, is on its democratic
journey led by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi. And of course, Press
is a fellow traveller advising the government against falling
into potential pitfalls opponents of democracy have always had.
Elahi has reassured the Press quite often his government believes
in the freedom of Press. He says his government will remove all
the hurdles hindering journalists' access to information. Considering
the media as a bridge between the government and the people, he
says he will take steps towards strengthening his government's
relations with the Press which has always wished well for democracy.
But
never falling behind are grizzly bears whose understanding of
who you are, and what you need to succeed, is seriously lacking.
They take a course different from that of a democratic government
and the all-is-well façade they build falls off when it
finds its head smashed. By then it is always too late for a democratic
setup to mend.
From
the ashes of a government that muzzled the Press should have risen
officials that cared more for its freedom but this is not so.
Punjab's Home Secretary and a former head of ISI in Punjab, Brig
Ejaz Hussain Shah (retd) has in a lack of graciousness hurled
a telephonic threat to the Weekly Independent. "Enough
is enough. Our government has finally decided to proceed against
your newspaper for working against the national interest."
For years Pakistan's vocal Press has been pressurised and cajoled.
"Working against the national interest" has been a favorite
Establishment excuse to shut off the Press whom it takes as an
adversary. "National interest" is a phrase quite often
abused for personal interest. Every megalomaniac has been claiming
his motivating thrust to be Pakistan's national interest. But
opinion backed by facts would have us believe otherwise. So, such
irresponsible statements only cause friction between the government
and the journalists.
Last
year it was under Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool that government's
relations with the Press slumped. General Musharraf addressed
a public rally at Faisalabad to win support for his referendum.
Musharraf was introduced by Maqbool, himself a retired general,
who quickly started complaining about critical Press coverage
of the [presidential] referendum campaign.
"Newspapermen were playing with the sentiments of the public
and they should know that the public could take revenge on them
if they did not desist from bad reporting," Maqbool told
the crowd. He complained about "misreporting and the irresponsible
attitude of the media".
"Shame, shame," he started shouting at a group of journalists
who were gathered at the rally.
The
journalists promptly walked out and then were suddenly charged
by a squad of police officers and beaten with wooden lathis. At
least 23 were hurt. Later, it transpired and Musharraf admitted,
he did not get as many votes as he was told he had. And he took
going for a referendum his mistake.
Trained in the military where dissenting is a sin, Brig Ejaz Shah
appears increasingly frustrated with the slightest criticism.
Previously, he would only sound out warnings. Now he has taken
up the cudgels and that too in the name of a government that has
so far kept its promises of ensuring Press freedom.
The
chief minister may also not be in know that his media managers
in Punjab have blocked all the state advertising to Weekly
Independent. We have not raised any hue over this economic
exploitation. Ads are not a favour but a right and we did not
protest their stoppage only because we did not like them to be
made a ploy to twist our arm. But we need a clarification from
the government of Pervaiz Elahi if the squeeze or the threat is
official.
Now
if any harm is done to us as has been to Punjab Deputy Opposition
Leader Rana Sanaullah, it will be the government to blame making
Elahi's political career an uncomfortable ride. So, democracy
should disown bears and keep the Press as its advising friend.
Weekly
Independent
Click
to View Benazir Bhutto Statement, CPJ Press Release
