Challenges to media freedom

Arguably, a free and responsible media's presence is necessary for the stability of democratic standards in a democratic polity, while press freedom itself is a vital part of a democratic society and reflection of social, cultural and ethnic diversities. The two incidents last week in relation to press freedom, constitute a renewed challenge to freedom of expression and people's right to know; these attacks also undermine efforts, however modest, aimed at strengthening democracy and promoting a democratic culture in the country.
A senior newspaper reporter, Ahmad Noorani, was grievously injured by six "unidentified men" at the entrance to the federal capital, Zero Point, when he was on his way to his residence. Those who committed a massive assault on him and his driver employed every possible method, except the use of fire arms or explosive material, with a view to eliminating him. An inquiry into the attack by the Islamabad commissioner is, however, yet to hit any breakthrough in order to establish the identity of the "unknown" people before it moves any further in this regard. How ironic is the fact that the attack on a journalist failed to attract the media attention that it actually deserved, as not only did a majority of news TV channels and newspapers virtually boycott the coverage of the incident owing to a variety of reasons, including the reporter's employer media group's highly controversial image that it has created for itself through an unwarranted attack on the then chief of the ISI, Lieutenant-General Zaheer ul Islam, the protests that followed are also characterized by confusion and doubt.
But the issue that should be equally, if not more, worrisome from the media's perspective is a Baloch insurgents' "ban" that they have imposed on distribution of newspapers in Balochistan, particularly its capital Quetta, although the people residing in Pakhtoon-dominated areas of this vast province are still receiving newspapers. The Baloch insurgents who had set a deadline for newspaper owners and working journalists to conform to what they termed "fair and objective" journalistic principles and standards in relation to reporting of events before they execute their plan. They have been accusing the media of displaying a highly partisan approach to the Balochistan situation through which they fully ignore the "violations of human rights," particularly forced disappearances of suspects, by the security forces. One must not, therefore, lose sight of the fact that the assignment of fair and objective journalism for any journalist is profoundly fraught with grave risks. That a number of Balochistan journalists quitting their profession in recent months and years after finding it impossible to strike a "delicate" balance between the demands of insurgents and instructions of the Establishment is a fact. It is interesting to note that the imposition of the ban by insurgents coincided with a meeting of the Council of the Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) in Quetta, where the newspaper editors and owners described the situation regarding press freedom in Balochistan as "extremely bad" and "contrary to democratic standards." It pointed out that newspapers have been facing severe pressure and hardships, and impediments are also being erected in the distribution of newspapers, while media workers and newspaper sellers are facing life threats. They demanded that all state and government institutions and "other bodies" ensure that the freedom of press and expression and the right to information are respected according to the Constitution of Pakistan. They also called for "steps that can truly strengthen press freedom in line with basic human rights."
Although the resolution adopted by the CPNE lacks clarity, insofar as the roles of the security forces and insurgents in relation to the media's plight are concerned, one can safely deduce from the foregoing that the Balochistan situation underscores the need for the government to pursue a dialogue with all stakeholders, including those that have taken up arms against the state, with a view to arriving at a solution that addresses growing disaffection to eliminate a deepening sense of deprivation among people in a mineral-rich province which hosts, among other things, China Pakistan Economic Corridor's flagship project, the Gwadar Port. Should the state decide to hold a dialogue with disgruntled Baloch elements, it would be doing it from a position of strength as the present-day law and order situation in a province contiguous to both Iran and Afghanistan is far better than what it was a few years ago.