Role of the
Media and the Judiciary
By Aisha Shaukat
Sacramento, CA
I
am glad to see Pakistan making headlines in the
top national newspapers in the country such as
the New York Times and the Newsweek weekly. And
even local newspapers are deeming Pakistan-based
news worthy of front-page headlines.
Although Pakistan became known to many in the
US after 9/11, it was still not well-known. As
Pakistanis, our government had been taking all
possible measures and actions, devising all strategies
nationally and internationally, to make the country
known to the rest of the world, especially Americans.
The imposition of Emergency Rule by President
Musharraf was one such successful initiatives
that resolved many issues awaiting solutions.
Most of us Pakistanis do not have to answer the
question, “Is Pakistan a country?”
now. Thanks to the Emergency Rule we no longer
face the embarrassment of being unknown to our
fellow Americans. More US electronic and non-electronic
media coverage is devoted to discussions about
the current situation in Pakistan, which certainly
is an indicator of Pakistan's importance for the
US. This, however, is not the only advantage of
the Emergency Rule.
Due to ER, law enforcement officers are on the
roads. Blissfully, their presence on roads instead
of offices will help in crime reduction, because
they will be more knowledgeable of the whereabouts
of the lawbreakers now.
The government is taking all precautionary measures
to ensure a stress-free public in Pakistan. One
such measure emanated from the prudent decision
of banning all private television channels in
Pakistan. The government understands the media
would be informing the public about usual and
unusual daily activities, they would arrange heated
debates and lively discussions containing conflicting
information, which may be hazardous to too sensitive,
heart patients in Pakistan. Hence, the government
took a precautionary measure to protect such individuals.
At the same time, the Pakistani government was
sensitive to the issue of discrimination; they
believed it would be unfair and discriminatory
to provide some people protection against the
media, while letting others suffer from heartbreaking
information. Therefore, all private channels were
banned for the good of all.
Many Pakistanis abroad are staging rallies and
protest marches against the Emergency Rule imposed
in Pakistan. They, too, are serving Pakistani
government's cause indirectly. The president's
advisory committee had thought about this consequence
of ER and the realization of this consequence
was one of the driving factors behind the imposition
of the Emergency Rule. You may wonder, how.
When Pakistanis protest by carrying banners and
placards, Pakistan's name appears one way or the
other, the protests receive local and national
coverage, Pakistan's name reaches the media and
hence, our government once achieves its goal of
introducing Pakistan to the world.
We are being known. Quite quickly! We will be
known to the point of being totally unknown —
to our coming generations, to the world, and to
the rest. Let us not be known to be forgotten.
It is November the 12th, 2007. It's been more
than nine days since the imposition of the Emergency
Rule in Pakistan, since the abrogation of civil
rights and liberties, imprisonment of judges,
lawyers, politicians and the public, curtailment
of the most fundamental rights in any society—the
right to know—through the media.
As a Pakistani I am concerned about free and fair
elections but denial of fundamental freedoms is
more important to me. Two institutions which guarantee
democracy or can lead nations to the development
of democratic practices are free media and free
judiciary. With the suppression of both, nations
suffer to the point of suffocation because both
oxygenate democracies.
I am concerned about the curtailment of civil
rights. I am concerned about people's lack of
access to the media. I am concerned about the
injustice done to the judiciary. Pakistanis need
to know about the current national crisis. They
need to know. Let them know.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
