Perception Is Reality

From the article by Kashif Aziz on Chowrangi which may be found here.

 Haven’t we been over this? President Pervez Musharraf is officially the president of the country, there had to be media reforms and the foreign governments support the Pakistani president due to his key role in the war on terror.

First, we need a gentle reminder: Pakistan was a country founded amidst war, and since then, has been at war with itself. It is a young, struggling country. Reforms happen. For the greater good of the country, sacrifices need to be made. Changes need to be made. Lets take a hint from India, who took a hint from us and warned its judiciary to not try to run the country. A free and independent judiciary is key in strengthening the ideology of human and free speech independence and rights, however, when a judicial system starts crossing it’s boundaries, there’s bound to be chaos. The ex CJ has been disposed of and that’s that (The article by Ayeshah Alam may be found here).

As for the media, it is still free and independent. I need not remind anyone that Musharraf was the one who allowed media to flourish, requiring more expertise (in turn raising the importance of education), making more jobs available, bringing Pakistani analysts in all fields at par with foreign ones and advocating free speech and expression. However, to show extremely gory content, constantly blaming the government and being a major source of uproar and chaos is not something that needs to be taken lightly. Free speech is still a problem domain, the boundaries not being clearly defined. Then Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz mentioned that constructive criticism is always appreciated. This is also something that needs to be defined. These words have a range of meanings and they need to be understood in order to reduce communication problems. The PEMRA ordinance has been and will be modified as has been the case in even western countries such as Canada with regards to media policy (Canada has an exceptionally rich history with regards to media politics and policy). This is not a violation of free speech or human rights (the words we Pakistanis speak as if we fully understand their meanings). This is evolution. Just so Ms. Jemima Khan knows, Geo is now free to operate in Pakistan again, just like the rest of the media giants.

Let’s move on. Let’s look forward to the elections, make sure they’re safe for all of us, do our part as citizens and voters and take it from there. This is about the future of Pakistan, not it’s past. We cannot change it, as cliched as it sounds.

What do we need to do? Look at the manifestos of the parties, cast our votes, and then if there is any proof (beyond just a doubt or feeling) of rigging, take action. For now, lets look forward to a booming economy, promising media and exposure of Pakistan for what it is: A sovereign, peace-loving nation which has its own set of problems and distinctive features.