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A daily review of media coverage of media and communications issues. |
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Attack on Media
Intimidation
Police compiling data about journalists |
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The police and intelligence agencies have started to collect data related to journalists and journalists associations, sources in the police department told Daily Times. The action was initiated after the PEMRA Ordinance Amendments were passed, and are ostensibly on account of the ongoing judicial crisis. The sources said that the special branch police (a part of the Karachi police) have started to collect personal data of active journalists in Karachi, including their cell-phone numbers and residential and office addresses. It was also learnt that field journalists, especially political reporters, crime reporters, and special correspondents, were being focussed on the most. A source from the special branch police told Daily Times that the details of newspaper offices and their sub-offices in various areas of Karachi was being collected, as well as the data related to TV and radio channels. The source further said that data of the banks linked to the media, was also being sought. The collection of data related to the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ), the KUJ-Dastoor, Association of Television Journalists (ATJ), and Pakistan Association of Press Photographers (PAPP), was due to their prominent role in criticizing the government’s policies and the amendments in the PEMRA Ordinance.
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http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\06\10\story_10-6-2007_pg12_1 |
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Media Protest
Protest against journalist’s killing |
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Journalists held a demonstration here on Saturday in protest against the killing of their colleague in Bajaur Agency and curbs on media. The journalists took out a procession from the Landi Kotal bazaar which converged at the Bacha Khan chowk where it turned into a public meeting. Activists of political parties and social organisations also participated in the protest. Speaking on the occasion, Kamal Khan, general-secretary of the Tribal Union of Journalists’ local unit, demanded immediate arrest of the killers of Noor Hakim. He said journalists in Fata were faced with threats from militant organisations. He demanded security for tribal journalists. Mr Khan also criticised the recent curbs on electronic media by the government. He said such steps showed the government’s nervousness in the face of a bold role played by both the print and electronic media during the recent judicial crisis.
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http://www.dawn.com/2007/06/10/nat5.htm |
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Kazmi threatens to stage hunger strike in front of CM House |
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A local freelance journalist, facing life threats for filing a petition on May 12 killings and violence, has threatened that he will start a hunger strike along with his family in front of the Chief Minister House until the government lodges cases against the culprits involved in the carnage. “I will sit on hunger strike in front of CM House against the puppet chief minister and until he apologises to the heirs of the victims,” Syed Iqbal Kazmi said at press conference. Kazmi, who was released by his captors on Friday after being kept in illegal confinement and threatened to leave the city by June 13, said that he would stay in the city and defy all threats and keep on struggling for the rights of the citizens of Karachi. He alleged that CM Sindh Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain were involved in his kidnapping. He ruled out involvement of any agency in his kidnapping. “I am sure that agencies were not involved in my kidnapping,” he said, adding that he would have been killed if he had not filed statement in the court that the MQM and Sindh govt would be responsible if any harm was caused to him.
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=4 |
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Fourth Estate in a fix by Afshan Subohi |
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"Yonder sits the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all..."
— Edmund Burke
THE amended Pemra Ordinance that seeks to impose fresh curbs on media exposes the mixed up soul of the current regime that talks of moderation but is demonstrating rigidity in its worst form. People look with dismay as President General Pervez Musharraf’s government, after filing a controversial reference against the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, has now come up with a draconian law of Pemra gagging the electronic media. Rumblings in an election year are expected. Governments in such a situation try to resolve issues in order to defuse tension. In Pakistan, unfortunately, the ruling coterie is so alienated from the people of the country that it is not inclined to trust them or their collective wisdom.
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http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/dmag1.htm |
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Reins for the media |
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Mounting obstacles in the way of journalists to operate and the government’s approach that seeks to reward and punish individual media organisations and journalists, has put the fourth estate in the midst of one of the severest battle of wits. As the motto goes; a free press cannot operate where journalists live in conditions of insecurity or fear.
The recent gag on the media is not the only issue this pillar of Pakistan’s civil set up is facing. With 16 journalists having been murdered since 2000 (as per the findings of the International Federation of Journalists) and in only one case the killers brought to justice, journalist safety too is a critical aspect for media men and women. |
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http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/dmag3.htm |
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Dear Mr President by Dr Farrukh Saleem |
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“Sir, you gave us GEO, ARY and AAJ. You showed us what electronic media is all about. You gave us MAST FM103, City FM89 and HUM FM106. You taught us the real meaning of entertainment. Sir, you will be sixty-four on 10 August 2007 (average life expectancy at birth of a Pakistani male is 62.73 years). Please -- pretty please -- take some time off your supremely hectic schedule. Please spend some time thinking of how you would like to be remembered. Please spend a portion of that time with people whose own jobs are not dependent on you; whose livelihood is not dependent on you remaining in office.”
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=9 |
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Mediaperosn; Count your blessings |
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I. A. Rehman gives a chronology of freedom of press or otherwise in the country… “Are licenses to broadcasters freely allowed or are candidates forced to seek relief from courts? Giving a broadcaster 48 hours permission for uplifting is called generosity; and Pemra; the ordinance that came in 2002 is reminiscent of press laws made by the colonial in the 18th and 19th centuries.”
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/enc.htm#1 |
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The News on Sunday Special Report on Media |
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Editorial, “today media is the movement. The government knows it too well and that’s why it’s jittery. Or, really, angry.
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/spr.htm#1 |
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‘Pemra is flawed authority’ |
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Zeenia Shukat interviews Imran Aslam, President Geo TV, on the need for a regulatory framework for the media. “There has always been this issue with regulatory authorities. They end up becoming censor boards.”
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/spr.htm#3 |
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Rules and regulators by Aatekah Ahmad Mir |
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“the government is accusing electronic media of flouting Pemra ‘rules’ but what exactly are these rules about? May be the government should try to follow the law before trying anyone ‘according to the law’.
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/spr.htm#2 |
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Gagging acts by Aziz Omer |
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“There are virtually no ‘official’ media regulation organizations in developed countries. The only way that human race will intellectually evolve further is through unfettered exchange of ideas and points of views.”
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/spr.htm#4 |
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“If the viewers have a problem they should speak up, not Pemra” |
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Usman Ghafoor interviews Syed Talat Hussain, Director news and Current Affairs, “if you look at the way every TV channel covers every big event anywhere in the world. This is the way it is done. It is TV, 24/7. Make no mistake about it. TV amplifies, TV is minute-to-minute coverage.”
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/spr.htm#5 |
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“Both govt and owners must protect journalist’ |
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Aoun Sahi interviews Mazhar Abbas, Seceratry General PFUJ, “May 12 was really a horrible day, but I don’t think that May 12 was the day after which the government decided to tighten the noose around our TV channels. As a matter of fact, journalism has become a very difficult field in Pakistan over last few years.”
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/spr.htm#6 |
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The Show goes on by Shehzada Irfan Ahmed |
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“As private television channels broke the monopoly of the state-owned PTV, the government countered them by imposing policy bans.”
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/spr.htm#7 |
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Timeline |
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Chronology of media related incidents
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/spr.htm#8 |
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Letter to Editor “press freedom in a dictatorship” |
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Bashir A Malik comments, “Press freedom without democracy is like a fish without water. As long as Pakistan reels under military rule the dream of a free press will remain unfulfilled, which is an integral part of democracy. The draconian curbs clamped by the military rulers on the electronic media corroborate my point beyond reasonable doubt. The struggle for a free press however must continue without let up till restoration of full democracy.”
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=11 |
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Letter to Editor “Media Blackout” |
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Dr Tariq Hassan comments, “Blackout all the news about the president and prime minister in particular and you will see immediate results. This proposed counter-blackout technique would not only provide an effective remedy to the media but also give the much needed added relief to the public at large, which is tired of listening to the government's unabashed lies. I hope that the media will give due consideration to this proposal and implement it in concert to give the government a taste of its own medicine.”
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=11 |
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Letter to Editor “Pemra ordinance” |
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Pir Shabbir Ahmad comments, “The manner in which the recent Pemra ordinance was passed negates all government claims that democracy exists in this country. Even the parliament was not accorded the indignity of rubber-stamping the said law. What makes the law totally without lawful authority is that even the cabinet was not considered worthy of being consulted on this most important matter. We have seen laws being bulldozed by civilian governments through the parliament in 30 minutes flat. However, this, too, was one of its kind and a new precedent has been set in the chequered history of our parliamentary democracy.”
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=11 |
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Media Miscellaneous
Govt retreats on media law |
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President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Saturday ordered the authorities to withdraw the controversial Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Amendment Ordinance. The president gave the order after a meeting with a delegation of the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA). The order made no mention of the prohibition on live coverage of the engagements of the chief justice and on talk shows dealing with the presidential reference. The president assured the delegation that the government was a votary of media freedom. “Licences to private TV channels have been given by my government. Why would I want to close them down,” a participant of the meeting quoted President Musharraf as saying during the meeting. At a media briefing, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani dispelled speculations that the president had made the withdrawal of the ordinance conditional on the formulation of a code of conduct by the PBA within three days. He said the PBA delegates on their own had assured the president that they would compile a code of conduct within three days. “This is a positive initiative which would bring about more credibility and responsibility in the media.”
(News-1)
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http://www.dawn.com/2007/06/10/top6.htm |
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Media Miscellaneous
Govt retreats on media law |
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President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Saturday ordered the authorities to withdraw the controversial Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Amendment Ordinance. The president gave the order after a meeting with a delegation of the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA). The order made no mention of the prohibition on live coverage of the engagements of the chief justice and on talk shows dealing with the presidential reference. The president assured the delegation that the government was a votary of media freedom. “Licences to private TV channels have been given by my government. Why would I want to close them down,” a participant of the meeting quoted President Musharraf as saying during the meeting. At a media briefing, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani dispelled speculations that the president had made the withdrawal of the ordinance conditional on the formulation of a code of conduct by the PBA within three days. He said the PBA delegates on their own had assured the president that they would compile a code of conduct within three days. “This is a positive initiative which would bring about more credibility and responsibility in the media.”
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http://www.dawn.com/2007/06/10/top6.htm |
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President withdraws Pemra Ord |
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Asks PBCA to make code of conduct for TV channels in three days | Says open to constructive criticism, but won't allow targeting armed forces | Vows to contest polls in uniform
President General Pervez Musharraf Saturday withdrew Pemra amended ordinance after the move triggered nationwide protests by journalists and opposition parties. Musharraf made the decision at a meeting with a delegation representing the Pakistan Broad-Casters Association (PBCA) in the capital, an official said. He issued the new ordinance last Sunday that authorised the government to seal the premises of broadcasters or news distributors, and raised possible fines for violations from Rs 1 million to Rs 10 million.
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http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\06\10\story_10-6-2007_pg1_5 |
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Wage board issue should be settled: PM |
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Prime Minister Shukat Aziz has asked to resolve wage board issue. He will soon meet a media delegation in to discuss matter. During press conference in parliament house, journalist raised the issue of wage board before PM Aziz. PM asked his press secretary to hold a meeting with journalists to discuss wage board implementation issues.
(Jang-2)
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Durrani describes meeting of PBA delegation with Mushrraf as poitive development |
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About meeting of the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) delegation with President Pervez Musharraf, the minister said the meeting was a positive development. He said during the meeting the PBA delegation said that they wanted to draft a code of conduct within next three days, which would address all the media-related concerns including the sovereignty of the country, the institutions responsible for national defence, judiciary and the self-respect of the common public. He said they stated that the code of conduct would also ensure promotion of the electronic media. He said the PBA delegation also told the president that they would also formalise the implementation procedures in the code of conduct.
Durrani said that President Musharraf on the occasion also reiterated his strong resolve to promote free and vibrant media, as it was his dream and conviction. He said the president also directed the federal government to withdraw the Pemra Amendment Ordinance.
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=6 |
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Afghan media team visits FC HQ |
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A four-member Afghan media delegation team comprising leading print and electronic media from Afghanistan visited Balochistan Frontier Corps Headquarters the other day. The team was accorded a warm welcome by Balochistan Frontier Corps Inspector General Maj-General Salim Nawaz at the FC Headquarters. During the meeting IGFC elaborated the roles and responsibilities of the Frontier Corps.
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http://www.thepost.com.pk/Arc_NatNews.aspx?dtlid=101565&catid=2&date=06/10/2007&fcatid=14 |
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Letter to Editor “Missing M A Niazi” |
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Moez mobeen says, “I would like to know about the health of veteran journalist M A Niazi. It’s been almost two months that he hasn’t written any article and we are missing him a lot. Can the Nation please, update its readers about his condition?”
(Nation-7)
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PIO fetes journalists |
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On the occasion of federal budget 2007-08 the principal information officer Rashid Ahmed hosted a dinner to representatives of local and regional media here Saturday at local hotel. The dinner was attended by a large number of media persons.
(Nation-13)
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Censorship by Omar R Qureshi |
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“Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without it being extolled, but some people’s idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back. That is an outrage.”
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/dia.htm#6 |
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Journalist extraordinaire by Intizar Hussain |
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Friends and colleagues of Tahir Mirza have paid him compliments for what he wrote as a journalist. I, for one, have a word of regret for what he did not write. In fact, one particular column from him made me aware of what he has in store for us other than what he has been offering to us in his journalistic writings. This column he had written with reference to his great-grandfather, Munshi Zakaullah Dehlvi, who belonged to the galaxy of reformist writers emerging in the aftermath of 1857. I sensed from this finely written column that Tahir Mirza had much more to say about this distinguished personality and his period, on the basis of what he had heard from his parents and what he had gathered from the family papers.
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http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/dmag16.htm |
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Journalist to the core |
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Adnan Adil tributes to late Tahir Mirza. “Theorizing was his not forte. He was a typical newspaper writer with fixed views on political issues and clarity of thought.”
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/dia.htm#2 |
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The defiant Niazi |
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Shahid Hussain pays tribute to late Zamir Niazi, “as the press and media continue to be persecuted, Zamir Niazi remains relevant as ever.”
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/lit.htm#2 |
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Cable Operators
Excise tax on cable TV waived |
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The government on Saturday decided to withdraw excise duty on cable TV. It also announced that it would widen the scope and co ncept of zero rating and consider sewing machines, bicycles and cotton seed oil for the rating. Sales tax for FATA and PATA traders has also been waived. The government is to enhance sales tax from 15 percent to 20 percent on raw material imported for iron, steel and paper industries.
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http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\06\10\story_10-6-2007_pg7_37 |
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Letter to Editor, “Viewers' rights” |
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Khalil Ahmad comments, “After attacking media installations/offices and seeing that it failed, the government has come to use immoral tactics to keep the people unaware of the CJ's activities, his journeys, his addresses and his supporters' unprecedented support. To achieve this anti-people agenda, the government is exploiting the uncultured and unprincipled Pakistan Cable TV Operators Association. But isn't it up to the viewers to decide which channel they want to watch or not, how come this association has authorised these "suppliers" of TV channel services to block this or that channel! Actually, it's a transaction between viewers and TV channel owners, and the said association has nothing to do with this transaction. They will have to provide what their clients demand. They have no choice but to leave this business if they want to party with the government. Better they get a TV channel license and operate it in favour of the government. Under the circumstances, and in view of the highhandedness of the Pakistan Cable TV Operators Association, it is high time that a Pakistan Cable TV Viewers Association is formed to raise voice in favour of the viewers' rights.”
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http://www.thenews.com.pk/arc_news.asp?id=11 |
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Music
Music Redefined by Sarwat Ali |
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“Technology seems to have changed the rules of classification of musical instrument.”
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http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2007-weekly/nos-10-06-2007/enc.htm#4 |
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Telecommunication
Mobile Number Portability fails to attract consumers |
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Only 18,400 out of 58.3 million subscribers avail the facility: Launched in March this year at a cost of Rs 5 billion, the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) system has failed to attract many consumers. Out of a total of 58.3 million users, approximately 18,400 subscribers (a mere 0.03%) have subscribed to the MNP system, a source in a leading Mobile operator told Daily Times on the condition of anonymity. The use of MNP system is not flourishing as the customers are facing difficulties while using this service.
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http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\06\10\story_10-6-2007_pg5_11 |
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DISCLAIMER: The contents, including news and headlines, in this newsletter are reproduced from their respective publications ad verbatim as a public service to media observers. Internews does not author the contents and these, therefore, do not necessarily reflect organizational policy.
Updated at 11:00 PST (06:00 GMT) |
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