Editorial & Opinion
Feb. 08, 1999
Freedom
generates progress
Dr Manzur Ejaz
Everyday in the United States, several judicial cases are
brought up by individuals and groups asking the courts to protect
their freedom of expression guaranteed to them under the First
Amendment of the Constitution of the country. Most of the times
the courts nullify laws passed by US Congress, state legislative
bodies, or other official and non official agencies that encroach
on the freedom of expression of the individuals. Such an open
atmosphere has helped the United States to become a world leader
not only in economic and military spheres but also in the world
of ideas.
No
dreams to live by
Anwar Ahmad
Last week, comment on the government-Jang Group war was
deliberately avoided. Primarily, because best defence of what the
Jang Group stood for ought to have come from the
outside--particularly, from other media groups. Barring
honourable exceptions, that has been a disappointment (true to
the past pattern of sycophancy and opportunism, reminds the
respected journalist-historian Mr Zamir Niazi).
Feb. 05 1999
Democracy
in danger
Nasim Zehra
The vigour and consistency with which Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif's personal friend, senator and key henchman Saifur Rehman
has taken up his 'demolish Jang' operation, can no longer be
ignored. Every thinking Pakistani who believes in democracy and
views Pakistan's progress as intrinsically linked to the survival
of democracy must fully understand that inherent in the fascistic
'demolish Jang' operation, is the unfolding obituary of
democracy. In substance if not in form. Today unbridled state
power is being deployed to gag the Jang group for its many 'ills'
- the 'ills' that have invoked displeasure of those who rule us;
those who lack credibility yet seek sweeping applause.
Why
silence the press
Dr Muzaffar
Iqbal
Early morning a van drops five men at the corner of two
not-so-busy roads in the capital. They all wear police uniforms.
One has a newspaper in hand. It is so cold that their breath can
be seen in the air. They rub their hands, look around and stand
under a tree where the slanting rays of morning sun provide a
streak of warmth. This is the beginning of a long day for them.
Feb. 04, 1999
Government-press
row
Dr MS
Jillani
Anybody who says that he is not perturbed over the onslaught
on the Jang Group is at best naive. The indifference being
exhibited by some sections of the society in this case has very
dangerous implications. This is partly a consequence of the
feeling that nothing will happen by invasion of an institution as
many others like the presidency, the judiciary, the civil and
military bureaucracy, have been effectively demoralised and
subjugated. In spite of all the indignation of the intellectuals
nothing happened and the onslaught continued. So nothing will
happen even now. This provides the government with a license to
destroy the institutions further.
Feb. 03, 1999
Jang
under fire
Farrukh Saleem
In 1633, William Prynne in Histrio-Mastix criticised the
queen. Prynne was "imprisoned, pilloried and shorn of his
ears." One hundred and fifty years latter, the founding
fathers of the United States wanted to make sure that the same
does not happen in their country. In 1789, they enacted the First
Amendment to the Bill of rights enabling the press to
"pursue its mission, no matter how odious that mission might
seem to those in power." In 1974, US Supreme Court Justice
Potter Stewart said that the "primary purpose of the First
Amendment was to create a fourth institution outside the
government as an additional check on the three official branches
(the executive branch, the legislature and the judiciary)."
Role
of free institutions
Dr Tariq Rahman
Let us consider only two kinds of free institutions: the
press and the nongovernment institutions (NGOs). Why do we need
them at all? We need them if we want a democratic culture to be
created; if we want democratic forms of government to be
strengthened; if we want rule of law with respect for individual
rights. And why should we value such things? Let us look at
medieval and contemporary history for the answer.
Still
in chains
Sardar FS Lodi
The ongoing government campaign to suppress and throttle the
Jang Group of newspapers will surely be remembered as yet another
shameful and sordid chapter in the history of the present Muslim
League government. The Jang Group is one of the three largest
newspaper groups in the country and the only one publishing a
daily abroad as well.
Feb. 02, 1999
Uses
of press freedom
Ghazi Salahuddin
As we stand riveted to this truly historic showdown between
the present government and the Jang Group, the focus on the
freedom of the press has the potential of reviving the spirits of
a depressed and demoralised nation. Indeed, the outcome of this
momentous encounter can become a turning point in the evolution
of our polity. But this would require a sober reflection on what
the press freedom means and entails in a democratic setting. The
time for such a reflection, of course, would come when the great
commotion that has led to the hearing of the case by the Supreme
Court of Pakistan has subsided. Yet all the concerned players
must not lose sight of the long-term ramifications of what is now
the basis of flaming headlines.
Dec 27, 1998
Press under fire
Shafqat Mahmood
This is a strange battle. The government objects to Pakistani
newspapers reproducing stories that appear in the foreign press.
Stories that concern Pakistan and some of it's top public
representatives and officials. Stories of corruption, of lawsuits
and of profligate spending. They contradict these allegations
through official handouts published in local papers. What they do
not do is sue the British newspapers for printing what they
consider to be false stories. What can we make of this?
Dec 22, 1998
The myth of freedom
Ghazi Salahuddin
During those treacherous times of Gen Zia's martial law, when
pre-publication censorship was imposed on the press, I had, in a
lighter vein, developed a standard response to questions about
what was happening in the country. "How do I know", I
would say, "I work in a newspaper". Things have
definitely changed since then and particularly during the past
decade of the supposedly democratic dispensation. It would appear
that the newspapers have considerable freedom to report and to
critically review the national scene. But the complexities of
what this freedom means and what are its uses are generally not
taken into account. After all, what is the purpose of the freedom
of the press if it is unable to to perform certain functions,
such as to protect and promote democratic values and the rule of
law?
Dec 15, 1998
Sharifs in the dock
Though revelations
in foreign media about some Pakistani politicians' dubious
business deals have now lost their shock value, The Sunday
Observer report on a writ issued in the London High Court, naming
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's father and brothers as guarantors
of an unpaid huge loan for a paper mill, is a good indicator of
at least the image of our leaders abroad. The £11 million writ
initiated by the Al-Towfeek Company for Investment Funds, an
offshoot of a Saudi Arabian bank, claims that these members of
the Prime Minister's family guaranteed parts of the loan and are
thus liable for repayment of the debt. Doubting the credibility
of the story, a spokesman of the Sharifs has termed the story a
manoeuvre by "such internal and external forces, which were
always out to tarnish the image of Pakistan". Dismissing the
charges as repetition of "the same baseless and fabricated
allegations against the group" which the same paper
published in September this year, the spokesman also pointed to
some factual errors in the report.