Opinion - News Analysis   

Pakistani media cannot wait for exit of ancien regime

When Nusrat Javeed, a popular television anchor whose programme was banned after President Pervez Musharraf imposed an emergency last November 3, decided to make a comeback on Aaj channel last Friday night, he lasted exactly seven minutes on the cable network. It was the second time he tried to return on the small screen after the February 18 elections, and both times, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority pulled the plug on the channel blac king it out for hours.

After Pakistani voters swept out the old and swept in the new in last week’s election, the electronic media, brought to its knees by the Musharraf regime after the November emergency, were the first to begin testing the waters. And the effort has started paying off even though the new government is still days, if not weeks, from falling into place. On Monday, Mr. Javeed made a third attempt with his co-host Mushtaq Minhas to put his show Bolta Pakistan on air, and this time the programme stayed on television screens for the its full one hour duration, so did the channel.

Asma Shirazi, a deceptively demure-looking anchor on ARY whose sharp political programme Parliament Gallery was among those that earned the ire of President Musharraf — she was accused of “provoking” the Pakistanis into unrest and agitation — also came back on air for the first time since November 3, as did her colleague Kashif Abbasi with his popular Off The Record.

“It’s really exciting to be back, and to be covering all the political developments that are taking place. We missed many thrilling moments, we missed covering the elections, but it’s great to be back,” said Ms. Shirazi, the hijab-sporting anchor who is a household name in Pakistan for her tough interrogation of political personalities.

Pakistani television was poorer for the absence of several popular programmes in the crucial months from the Emergency up to the election. Gone were the late night discussions and debates on current issues that had so riveted the nation from the time President Musharraf sacked the ousted Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary last March. Instead, viewers watched a small screen gone tame as television channels went big on breakfast shows.

But since last week, the situation has changed. Ms. Shirazi has done interviews with Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari, prime minister in waiting Makhdoom Amin Fahim and the Pakistan Muslim league (N)’s Javed Hashmi.

But with the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N), the victors of the election and their other allies engaged in the arduous task of building coalitions and finding allies for government formation, the ancien regime still continues. The infamous PEMRA ordinance that imposed a crippling code of conduct on the television channels as a condition for putting them back on air remains in place.

“We are still not entirely free. We cannot have discussion programmes, we can do only one-on-one interviews, but nothing is censored, and we are doing mostly live programmes,” said Ms. Shirazi. Under the post-Emergency code of conduct, private channels had to use a time-delay device so that anything “objectionable” or violative of the code could be snipped out.

Also, some anchors are still off air. Hamid Mir, Pakistan’s most recognised television personality, used to host a programme called Captital Talk. When Geo was allowed back on air in mid-January, Mr. Mir and another host had been axed, and Mr. Mir’s show handed over — “temporarily” the channel advertised – to another journalist.

“We are being told that we are still banned. So we don’t want to take the risk of going on air and have the channel blacked out. We suffered big financial losses when we were off air and we have felt the impact of that,” said Mr. Mir.

Geo remained off air the longest, its separate money-spinning sports, entertainment and youth channels blacked out on cable along with the news channel.

But Mr. Mir is only biding his time, and may not have a long wait ahead. There is an air of expectancy and anticipation over Pakistan’s media scene as journalists, like the rest of country, wait to see what changes the new government will make.

“The expectations from the new government are very high,” said Ms. Shirazi. According to her, not only must a state-imposed code of conduct go, the role of PEMRA must be minimised and it must be separated from the government’s Ministry of Information.

A PPP government supported by the PML(N) is likely to take over the reins from the caretaker government by mid-March. At every press conference, among the first questions that PPP and PML(N) leaders are asked is one about their position on media freedom..

PPP leader Zardari and Mr. Sharif have both promised that among their first tasks after forming the government would be to roll back the PEMRA restrictions. The PML(N) has even said that it has only a two-point agenda : restoring the judiciary to its pre-November 3 position, and removing all restrictions on the media.

In a sign of the coming new wind in the corridors of power, the topmost bureaucrat in the powerful Information Ministry, Secretary Anwar Mahmood, has already handed in his resignation to the President, although it has not yet been accepted. The Pakistan Federal Union Of Journalists is in informal contact with leaders of PPP and PML(N) as journalists try to drive home that it is for media organisations to sit together and formulate a code of conduct.

“We accept that there have to be checks and balances, but we will not accept blackmail,” said Mr. Mir.

And what if the new government fails to keep its promises on media freedom?

“We seriously hope they will, otherwise they will meet the same fate as the last government did on February 18,” said Mr. Javeed.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Well done, Railways
Misplaced priorities
An explosion on the road to peace
West Asia on the edge after an assassination
Pakistani media cannot wait for exit of ancien regime
Corrections and clarifications
Response
Pakistan politics
Laudable effort
Hero of our times
Indirect child labour

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu