The Hindu : Kasuri praises valiant battle by <i>The Hindu</i>

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 12, 2003

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International - India & World

Kasuri praises valiant battle by The Hindu

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD Nov. 11. The Pakistan Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, today was all praise for The Hindu's "valiant battle" against the problems the paper was facing in south India.

Mr. Kasuri's comments came in the context of his claim that the media in Pakistan were more critical of their Government than their Indian counterparts on issues of foreign policy.

Mr. Kasuri, who has just returned from a tour of the European Union countries, said that he tried to impress upon the E.U. leaders that standard of democracy practiced in Pakistan was better than that in many countries. The "press in Pakistan is more independent more critical of Pakistan and its foreign policy than the press in India is of Indian foreign policy," he said.

When an Indian journalist pointed out that the Indian media asserted their independence with the help of the Judiciary, Mr. Kasuri said, "I would like to pay compliment to the Indian media. They are waging a brave struggle, especially The Hindu which is facing problems in the southern part of India. They are putting up a valiant battle."

Mr. Kasuri said the judiciary in Pakistan was also independent amid peals of laughter from journalists. He hastened to add that the judiciary in his country faced problems and maintained that the Indian judiciary too faced problems when Indian Gandhi imposed Emergency in 1975.

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