Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Senator Pervaiz Rasheed has said that Governor Punjab Salman Taseer's statement that restrictions have been imposed on private TV channel for targeting President Asif Ali Zardari is in fact a confession of guilt and the only way to repent is to withdraw this action and refrain from such tactics against media in future.
Senator Pervaiz Rasheed said that the culture of tolerating criticism is promoted in democracy and criticism is responded with logic and argument and not with force. He said the rulers should accept the fact that a free media is essential for democracy and putting any curbs on media could harm the democratic system. He said that from the statement of Salman Taseer one has the feeling as if he was trying to win the support of others by threatening their economic interests.
Senator Pervaiz Rashid said that by burning the bundles of newspapers in Karachi and highhandedness with cable operators and damaging their property, certain elements want to give a message to their opponents that they will be deprived of their means of livelihood if they refused to follow their line. If this culture was not changed, the consequences would be disastrous, he added.