My mind was filled with terse memories of 2007 after reading
about the curbs on the media during revolution in Egypt.
Pakistan was going through the toughest phase of its time in
2007 but the situation was not a revolution like in
Pakistan. I could witness the events and analyze them better
as compared to the past upheals as in 2007 I was not only a
university graduate but a media person too.
The same television channels which were opened during
General Pervez Musharraf era, the president of Pakistan from
1999-2008 were banned by him due to his clash with the
Judiciary. It was the first time happened in any country’s
history that the Chief Justice of Supreme Court was deposed
by the President of Pakistan. As a result, there was a start
of protests in Pakistan. These protests were waged by Civil
Society,NGOs,lawyers,political parties and different
organizations.All had one demand that was ’Restore the chief
Justice’.The broadcast media started to cover those events
and one day my channel paid the price of its daring job when
my office in Islamabad was attacked by the police .Our whole
staff was inside the building,all the female staff was
escorted to editing room and shunned by our male staff to
not step out as they didn’t want the police to misbehave
with us.Then the information Minister came in and handled
the situation.That was just the start,afterwards my channel
alongwith other private channels were shut down .But our
channel faced the brunt of Musharaf’s wrath to an extent
that we were on air after 70 days of ban.During these days I
remember doing our talk show on the footpaths.
I was reading in Stephen Franklin’s article published in
Columbia Journalism Review,March/April 2011 Edition and
trying to delineate the similarities between Pakistan
sitautin in 2007 and Egyptian revolution .In Egypt too the
channels which were showing what was happening on the
streets, were stopped to on air. The journalists were
prisoned or banned to come on screen .Some journalists
changed their positions either pro government or anti
government. All the same, we have seen in Pakistan in
2007.The same happened in the previous military regimes too.
But the media curbs in 2007 have proved to be a blessing for
the broadcast media. As it has got strong roots in the
common man of Pakistan who is looking upto the television
channels to enhance his knowledge about the country and the
world.
The media has to show what is happening in streets as it is
the voice of the people.It is the way to transmit their
voices to the authorities which are shying away from the
facts. It is the people who elects and selects the rulers
but at the end it is the people who knock at their
conscience and ask them to either mend their ways or leave
the scene. If media just shows the mirror to someone and the
mirror doesn’t show them the fake face then it’s not the
fault of media but the fault lies with the persons who is
not accepting the reality.
A scene of protest by journalists in 2007Protest by journalists in 2007
