Punjab assembly's unanimous resolution against the media and a strong reaction in this regard exhibit signs of frustration on either side. Politicians are of the opinion that the media have misunderstood their words 'section of media' and expanded it to whole media industry. Media, on the other hand, smells rat and took the resolution as a beginning of a set of restrictions against it.
But why this difference in approach and who is fanning it? Is it media, politicians, or both? And if both are responsible for the situation, question arises that why they are doing so? Did politicians pass resolution to divert public attention from real issues? Did they try to check the burgeoning role of media? Or it is simply wastage of time. Interestingly, conclusions were entirely different when media tried to generate controversy out of Fauzia Wahab's statement that Caliph Omar appeared before the court because there was no constitution at that time. Hundreds of baton-laden PPP workers surrounded GEO TV's head office in Karachi and soon, the channel started airing confusions on Fauzia's statement. However, respective sides calmed down when due assurances were extended from either end.
But situation has altogether remained out of the PML-N's control in case of Punjab assembly's controversy. Probably, it is because of the 'party culture' of the PPP and the PML-N. The PPP leadership, as a matter of fact, welcomes confrontations comparing with the PML-N leadership, which prefers to be reconciliatory in its politics. Resultantly, the PPP achieves popularity out of each endeavour, good or bad, and the PML-N secures an image, good or bad, at the end of the day.
So, one conclusion can be drawn out of this argument that the PPP gained popularity out of Fauzia Wahab's controversy and the PML-N lost image out of Sanaullah Masti Khel's confrontation with the media. Though media is not in a mood to let PML-N lose its image altogether and is still giving it the space to escape.
We are living in the era of 'screen revolution'. Nawaz Sharif's call to the public to come out of homes during long march was given through the cameras of TV channels and not through public meeting at the Mochi Gate. The present head-on collision between the politicians and the media has resulted into a further weakness of the former one. A jerk response from the media has shaken the politicians' world. They are trying to hold their balance now, which is already out because of the issue of fake degrees.