Gone are the days when either the neighbourhood alone or the newspapers provided details of the prices of sacrificial animals, come Eid-ul-Azha. And there would be cattle bazaars all over Karachi, for example, messing up the city, but making it so convenient for buyers. The scene is changing here too. Now Television channels report not just the movement of sacrificial animals, but also details of prices, and the supply and demand phenomenon. Not a bad proposition.
I saw a very comprehensive report on prices, and supply and demand of sacrificial animals, which showed a country-wide picture. This was on the Geo channel earlier this week and I would like to believe that the prices were relevant and accurate only for that day.
It seemed that the prices and the overall context showed that there was a shortage of supply in the country, generally speaking. It was indicated that only the city of Peshawar had enough supply to meet its demand. The figure given for Peshawar was 100,000. All other cities focused upon - Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, Rawalpindi - showed a shortage of animals, and which obviously must have had a bearing on the prices. And the shortage was substantial.
As in each year, this year too, there was, from this TV report, evident that the prices were on the higher side, and the TV reporter kept repeating that the public was unable to afford the prices of sheep, goat and cows this year. One point of view heard was that the government should subsidise the prices here too. That the government should facilitate the people when it came to enabling them to meet their religious obligations.!!!
One of the main points in the television reportage was the emphasis on the maintenance costs that were being charged from the public - costs of water, electricity, sanitation and security, etc which were being passed onto the consumer, the buyer of these animals. The implication was that the people should not be made to pay these costs. And it was interesting to see the extent of details that were being looked at in the reportage. I am certain that the viewers must have found the information useful.
One takes this opportunity to underline other such reports that try and reveal the reality of retail markets, especially items like groceries and other foodstuffs, which affects the common man. Steadily and surely the television channels are focusing on society in its entirety. There is Shadi on Line, doctor on line, and programmes that focus on people's psychological problems, and financial aspirations and so on. As that happens I see the traditional newspaper becoming still more vulnerable.

****************
Now cricket, and the way in which Pakistan is losing is what one focuses upon. It is amazing how much television channels are anxious about the performance of the Pakistan team.
I am inclined to go along with the proposition that were there not so much money in the game (or industry) now the level of interest would be much lower. Is it the money that they are all after?
Having said this I want to focus on a very interesting observation that was made by the former PCB boss, Lieutenant General (Retd) Tauquir Zia, in Follow-up With Fahd (Geo) on Monday night when he felt that the inability of the Pakistani players to understand the English language was a major reason why they couldn't carry out what coach Bob Woolmer was saying.
One has heard for a life time how there were such Pakistani cricketers who couldn't speak English fluently. There has now come a time when not just the entire team's inability to speak English is a matter of concern, but also the poor level of education the team members have. In this programme a major question that was raised was whether there was a relationship between education and cricketing excellence. The answer that the former PCB chief gave was that good education was very important for good cricket. And the other participant in this programme, Dr Nauman Niaz, a former media manager of the PCB, went on to observe that the Pakistan team today was the least educated team in the cricket world.
So it seems that the national cricket team has not just cricket problems but also those that are related to education, grooming and so on. What then are the answers? Dr Nauman Niaz observed that, for instance, the Indian cricketers were engineers and IT professionals.
While one wonders whether the problem of Pakistan cricket is one of bad management or whether it is a bad phase that the team is undergoing, I have often heard the view that there is some relationship between the politics that goes on in the country and the state and the morale of the cricket team.
Fahd Hussain asked both his participants pointed questions and it was interesting to see that Lieutenant General (Retd) Tauquir Zia did not agree that he had failed as the PCB boss. And he felt that the current cricket boss, the former diplomat Shaharyar Khan, had made some errors of commission.
That he (Shaharyar Khan) should have sat down with the team and discussed what needed to be done on a short term and long term basis. That it was not enough to look at the security and public relations aspect of the sport.
Dr Nauman Niaz must have made the former PCB boss uneasy when he said that all was not well in the days of Lieutenant General (Retd) Tauquir Zia, and referred to the CEO Ramiz Raja who was wearing five or six hats.
The TV programme that night tried to examine what was wrong with cricket in Pakistan. But this was not the first time that this was being done, and neither was it the last. Cricket is the most popular sport in the country, and the passion is not going to take a backseat. There is big money in the cricket industry, and TV channels and cable operators know their way too well.
****************
The Balochistan crisis and the Sui field situation, have been under focus for a good two weeks on the Pakistani channels, and at the time of writing this column there is no real reason to believe that this level of interest is going to subside. Which way will things go, is what people are talking about, and that is the primary undercurrent in the analysis and argument that we have been seeing on the channels. In fact, there is a very grim, grave situation that seems to lie ahead, and politicians are warning the government that the situation could get out of control. And the Federal Government, after its cabinet meeting in Islamabad on Monday, has made it clear that it will take all possible steps to ensure the safety of installations at the Sui field.
I write this column on Tuesday evening, and TV channels are reporting that while the Sui field is quiet and under control, normal gas supplies are likely to be restored by Eid. That is only a part of the answer.
The larger question relates to Balochistan, and what will be the political solution we are headed for; and how soon. And what will be the actual benefits that will reach the people of the area-wise largest province of the country.
There was yet another discussion on the Balochistan crisis on Monday night where the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources Naseer Mengal emphasised that it was imperative that the benefits reach the people sooner than later. He, however, also observed that the problem of terrorism was not confined to Balochistan alone, as acts of terrorism were taking place in other places in the country, as well as abroad.
There are many dimensions to the Balochistan problem today, which date back to yesterday. It has been some time now, and the Balochistan issue is crying for solutions. Besides PTV, the Geo, ARY and Indus Channels have been focusing on the subject for the last two weeks, and it has helped the average Pakistani to be able to hear the fearlessly expressed candid views of various Baloch leaders. A central point that is worrying is whether there will be army action in Dera Bugti and Sui. And when?
So far it has emerged that all the major opposition forces, including the ruling coalition partner Muttahida Qaumi Movement, have shown that they solidly stand behind the Baloch nationalists alliance against any possible military action. And the veteran Baloch leader and chief patron of the Balochistan National Party, Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal has said that "if the army operation was launched in Balochistan, it would be a decisive battle as the Baloch are committed to protecting the integrity of their motherland."
Apart from the news channels that were focusing on the Sui situation in a larger Balochistan context, ARYOne, Geo, and Indus TV also had special focus on the subject, all of which stood out for the anger and the candour with which the participants spoke. Mujahid Barelvi spoke to Sardar Akhtar Mengal on this theme one night. Raziq Bugti, media advisor to the Balochistan Chief Minister, also joined in.
On one particular evening the Federal Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao was interviewed by Kamran Khan in his Geo programme and Dr Shahid Masood on the AryOne channel.... almost one following the other ensuring that the viewer stays tuned, and stays grim.
From the viewers' point of view, one thought that crosses the mind is that for all the coverage that the above themes have received, there has not been much, or any worthwhile visual footage, that would reflect the situation, one way or the other. This is one area where television journalism is lacking here.
One hopes that as channels grow we will witness, a change in this situation, and more editorial freedom will come about.
****************
While my cable operator still does not give me all the Pakistani channels that are available, I notice that another new channel, highly publicised in the newspapers to announce its launch, has surfaced. Good. Welcome.
This channel is called Hum TV and appears to be an entertainment channel. Channel surfing on Sunday enabled me to glimpse some of the light music. But that was all.
****************
On Monday night, in PTV's Roo Ba Roo there was the Federal Education Minister, a former retired Lieutenant General speaking out on the reasons why the Aga Khan Education Board would be conducting examinations for the private sector on a voluntary basis.
Interviewing him was the journalist Quatrina Husain-Karim, and listening to the dialogue was an invited audience, which also asked questions.
The Federal Minister felt that the reasons why the Aga Khan Board was being opposed were political alone.
As I write this I am reminded of another PTV interview that I saw recently wherein Mohammad Malick was talking to the Information Minister Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed. It is always interesting to hear Shaikh Rasheed, but in that programme he was particularly engaging.
****************
And I am reminded of a rather superficial dialogue that surfaced in Rising Pakistan on Tuesday morning with Tauseef Haidar and Syed Noor, the film director. In fact, what was worse was the programme producer's decision to have a film writer and director appear in that show, at a time when Eid-ul-Azha and Haj were on people's minds. To have invited a person relevant to these themes would have been a better option, than have these two men talk of how young actresses can be made to look as beautiful as they are, on screen too.
I have noticed that the producer of this morning show lacks a sense of direction, and a sobriety that is always a mature option.