NUSRAT NASARULLAH
WEEKEND MAGAZINE (December 20 2008): The fall of Dhaka, which took place 37 years ago on the 16th of December 1971 has been a major theme on the channels this year, and I am inclined to agree with the contention that perhaps this time we have focused on it far more than ever before in the past. The break up of Pakistan, or as some refer to it as the dismemberment of the country, may not have been discussed or remembered as much, perhaps if it were not picked up by the TV channels in particular.
One may mention here that the echoes of the fall of Dhaka were also heard in the Provincial Assembly in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Evidently, Pakhtoonkhawa, the new unanimously agreed name of the province has now been changed from Frontier and the decision is to be implemented with immediate effect.
A news report has said that a member of the assembly Israrullah Khan Gandapur, of the PPP Sherpao Group, has warned that the country is facing a situation as difficult as like it did 37 years ago when the East Pakistan tragedy took place.
There have been many thought provoking panel discussions on the loss of East Pakistan, and reference made to it in various programmes on that day. One does, however, wonder whether the younger Pakistanis today are aware of why Pakistan lost that war in 1971, the role that India played, and the consequences that we have had to live with.
Among the young Pakistanis today are lakhs of Bengali speaking families who reside in this country. There are Bengalis who did not leave Pakistan, and others have moved from Bangladesh to Pakistan, and there are thousands and thousands who have been born here. In this context, I would like to mention a short film report which was telecast to highlight the efforts that are being made by the Bengali speaking Pakistanis to hold onto their Bengali culture and tradition.
One of the discussions that was held on the fall of Dhaka, was on the Business Plus channel in The Pulse with Jasmeen Manzoor. The participants in the programme were Afaq Khan Shahid, a veteran of the Pakistan Peoples Party from Karachi, Colonel Jamil (Retd) who was head of the Police in the Eastern Region (former east Pakistan) and Wing Commander Mohiuddin (Retd) who was also in East Pakistan at that time.
It was an extremely absorbing panel discussion in which there was a very major difference of opinion on the authenticity and the fairness of the December 1970 general elections that were held under President Yahya's government. While Afaq Shahid said that the 1970 polls were honest, and transparent, Colonel Jamil argued vehemently that the polls were not so.
The Express News also had a panel discussion on the theme of the dismemberment of Pakistan, and the discussants included Abbas Athar and Mujibur Rehman Shami. In the days when East Pakistan broke away to form Bangladesh there was only Pakistan TV. There is so much TV that is arguing about it now. Do we know the real reasons, and are we agreed on why it happened? There is a lot of talk on how to avoid repeating the tragedy. Talk only, yes?
'SICK MAN OF ASIA': Different TV channels on 17th December also reported and discussed (with some concern and anxiety) what President Asif Ali Zardari said in an interview to Renaud Girad (Le Figaro) in Islamabad. He said that "I make a cry for Europeans: help us more because we are the sick man of Asia". He said this in response to the question that "the European Union is the largest trading partner of Pakistan and its first donor. What message do you have for it?"
President Zardari was asked, "What is the legacy left by military dictatorships that have succeeded throughout the history of Pakistan?" And he answered thus: They have denied all human progress, cultural, intellectual, and political. In a democracy, a government that succeeds or fails always leaves behind a lesson. Martial Law, which is the opposite of the rule of law, always interrupts progress. A negative energy is spreading in the nation, with consequences that we know."
Around noon on Wednesday the Aaj TV reported this interview and then asked two senior familiar journalists on how they viewed the President's statement that Pakistan was the sick man of Asia. In Urdu it sounded even worse? I wonder.
The two journalists were Mujibur Rehman Shami and Nazir Naji and they came with spontaneous and detailed responses to what President Zardari had reportedly told Renaud Girad a couple of days ago While Shami did not appear to agree with what had been said of Pakistan as being the "sick man of Asia", he said that it seemed to be a rather exaggerated view of the country's picture today.
But veteran journalist Naji opined that perhaps this was a realistic look and diagnosis of Pakistan's ills, which would enable the country to find remedies in the days ahead. I am writing this on Wednesday night and it seems likely that this quote from this particular interview is going to be further quoted in a variety of contexts in the days ahead.
HEROIC MUNTAZER AL -ZAIDI: The daring Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi who threw his shoes at President Bush has become a hero not just in Iraq, but the world over, and a kind of a symbol of defiance.
A report from Baghdad said that "the little known Shia reporter said to have harboured anger against Bush for the thousands of Iraqis who died after the US led invasion of 2003, and that he had briefly made headlines once in 2007 when he was kidnapped by armed gunmen."
Zaidi shouted "This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog". His employers independent Baghdadiya TV has demanded his release. The Iraqi government has termed him as a barbarian, and Bush said that it was the strangest incident in his term as President. Will he set trends? TV channels have been showing repeatedly the way he threw his shoes at Bush, which among other things is a ferocious criticism of his policies throughout the world.
ONLY ISLAMABAD TONIGHT? As I watched Islamabad Tonight on Aaj TV on 15th December (the night before the fall of Dhaka, 37 years ago) I wondered why only 'Islamabad Tonight'. Why don't we have Peshawar tonight, or Lahore tonight, or Quetta or Karachi tonight?
Or even Pakistan tonight? Each of these would have so much to tell, report, analyse, reflect. There is much that is happening in this country today, and for some time now. And the world has not just increased its media presence in Pakistan but from the shape of things global there is that much more pressure and expectation from this country.
From the point of view of the ordinary TV viewer, which is what I regard myself at most times, something like Karachi tonight would be eminently viewable. Try and imagine Lahore tonight or Peshawar or Quetta tonight. 'Islamabad Tonight' has its own relevance. But have not things gone beyond the Federal capital, even though much is happening there?
Journalist Nadeem Malik, who has moved from CNBC Pakistan to AAJ TV, anchors 'Islamabad Tonight'. And this is currently a weekly hour long show, and from what we have seen so far, it has the potential to engage the politically inclined viewer. That we are in political times, and that this mood is likely to extend further, beyond one's imagination is stating the obvious. A word about Nadeem Malik: his spontaneous ability to almost suddenly bring in a common man's perspective is something that is appreciated. His willingness to doubt the official claim, and government contention is welcome.
'Islamabad Tonight' touched upon various themes, and the principal guest invited was the Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping, Nabil Ahmad Gabol, who explained and defended very stoutly different aspects of Pakistan's current foreign and domestic policies.
Indeed, a great deal of focus on Pakistan's all round policies is the subject matter of almost all the editorial content of our TV channels today. Of course Nadeem Malik kept presenting him with dissenting opinions and questions, and the Federal Minister who is also a senior PPP member, spoke his mind as the conversation moved from one theme to another.
Some of the subjects they talked about included Gordon Brown's visit to Pakistan, and why President Asif Ali Zardari and not Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was present at the British Prime Minister's press conference.
Then there was reference to the Indian air force planes flying in four miles deeper into Pakistani air space, by way of flagrant Pakistan, in current state of Pakistan-India relations (another recurring high profile theme on the channels), the ban on Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) following the United Nations verdict and related subjects, and the shoes that were thrown at President George Bush by the young Iraqi journalist, Muntazar al-Zaidi. The shoes thrown at the American President has been a consistent theme ever since it happened and one does wonder what kind of trends this courageous defiance of a journalist could set.
All these themes have been repeatedly discussed on various channels, with varying levels of emphasis and emotion, and all of which has gone to reflect the difficult situation that Pakistan is in. The senior journalist Irfan Siddiqui who also appears on other channels spoke on the phone in this programme and said categorically that the present government was so far following the policies of former President Pervez Musharraf, even though the government has been in office for almost eight months now.
BALOCH VOICE, TV STATION: A PPI story datelined Karachi has appeared in this daily on Wednesday, 17th December, with the headline "Munir Mengal claims he was asked by Musharraf to abandon TV project". Munir Mengal is associated with a TV station called Baloch Voice, which has been in the news for a few years now.
Here are some extracts from it which are revealing. Says PPI, "Munir Mengal has told Paris based international organisation Of Journalists" Reporters without Borders that while held incommunicado, he was taken to see the then president General Pervez Musharraf in Karachi on 26th October 2006, who asked him to abandon his satellite TV station project in return for his release.
"Pervez Musharraf was waiting for me in a room with two other army officials. After apologising for the way I had been treated, Musharraf asked me in English to give up my TV station project. He promised to release me if I pulled out of the media domain. He also offered me a copy of his book so that I could appreciate his commitment to Pakistan. After refusing his deal I was taken back to my cell and was tortured by agents again."
Munir Mengal, interviewed in a European country where he has found refuge, also said that Tariq Aziz, (an aide of Musharraf) offered him a political appointment and money in return for abandoning the planned "Baloch Voice" TV station.
The story quotes "Reporters without Borders" as having said that "Munir Mengal's shocking and damning account should prompt Pakistan civilian authorities to open an immediate investigation into the case". It further said that "it is inconceivable that those responsible for this political abduction be allowed to go unpunished."
Some of the facts as reported in this story indicate that Mengal was arrested on 4th April 2006, when he landed at the Karachi airport. A military officer in civilian dress arrested him, and confiscated his passport and took him to a detention camp in Malir.
At one point he was asked questions like, "Why do you want to create this TV station?" Who gave you the idea? Who is supporting you? Mengal also provides details of the torture that he was subjected to. Mengal was released on 4th August 2007 after he was held incommunicado for more than 16 months.
Following court decisions and a public campaign, he was "smuggled out of the Sindh province" but he was arrested two days later (September 2007) and placed in Khuzdar prison in Balochistan under the Maintenance of Public Order Act. Eventually on 23rd February this year Baloch policemen enabled him to leave Khuzdar prison--- where an officer "threatened to kill him". He rejoined his family, went into hiding for several weeks and managed to leave Pakistan via Turbat airport". Reading this story brought into focus once again the subject of missing persons in the country, and which subject is interlinked to not just the government of former President Musharraf but also the way in which this country functions.
It also makes one contemplate the problems of Balochistan, which with the passage of time, and the war against terror appear to have been aggravated. And given the challenges, frustrations, and threats that the country faces today, at this point in time, the long-standing woes of Balochistan appear bigger than ever before.
OVEREXPOSED: In a morning show on News One the anchor woman received a phone call from a woman viewer who said that she was making this first ever phone call because she was so relieved and pleased that the guest that morning (Wednesday) was the veteran actress Ayesha Khan.
She said that she was making this phone call because of the fact that she was happy to see Ayesha Khan rather than the over exposed actors and actresses who appear repeatedly -on one channel or the other.
There is truly something to think about--- for that is also the case with many of the experts who appear on the various panel discussions and audience participation shows that are held by the channels. Is it a lack of imagination on the part of the producers, directors and anchors that there is repeated overexposure? Some male and female faces are enough to make one switch the channel. No names, please!! (nusratnasarullah0@gmail.com)
One may mention here that the echoes of the fall of Dhaka were also heard in the Provincial Assembly in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Evidently, Pakhtoonkhawa, the new unanimously agreed name of the province has now been changed from Frontier and the decision is to be implemented with immediate effect.
A news report has said that a member of the assembly Israrullah Khan Gandapur, of the PPP Sherpao Group, has warned that the country is facing a situation as difficult as like it did 37 years ago when the East Pakistan tragedy took place.
There have been many thought provoking panel discussions on the loss of East Pakistan, and reference made to it in various programmes on that day. One does, however, wonder whether the younger Pakistanis today are aware of why Pakistan lost that war in 1971, the role that India played, and the consequences that we have had to live with.
Among the young Pakistanis today are lakhs of Bengali speaking families who reside in this country. There are Bengalis who did not leave Pakistan, and others have moved from Bangladesh to Pakistan, and there are thousands and thousands who have been born here. In this context, I would like to mention a short film report which was telecast to highlight the efforts that are being made by the Bengali speaking Pakistanis to hold onto their Bengali culture and tradition.
One of the discussions that was held on the fall of Dhaka, was on the Business Plus channel in The Pulse with Jasmeen Manzoor. The participants in the programme were Afaq Khan Shahid, a veteran of the Pakistan Peoples Party from Karachi, Colonel Jamil (Retd) who was head of the Police in the Eastern Region (former east Pakistan) and Wing Commander Mohiuddin (Retd) who was also in East Pakistan at that time.
It was an extremely absorbing panel discussion in which there was a very major difference of opinion on the authenticity and the fairness of the December 1970 general elections that were held under President Yahya's government. While Afaq Shahid said that the 1970 polls were honest, and transparent, Colonel Jamil argued vehemently that the polls were not so.
The Express News also had a panel discussion on the theme of the dismemberment of Pakistan, and the discussants included Abbas Athar and Mujibur Rehman Shami. In the days when East Pakistan broke away to form Bangladesh there was only Pakistan TV. There is so much TV that is arguing about it now. Do we know the real reasons, and are we agreed on why it happened? There is a lot of talk on how to avoid repeating the tragedy. Talk only, yes?
'SICK MAN OF ASIA': Different TV channels on 17th December also reported and discussed (with some concern and anxiety) what President Asif Ali Zardari said in an interview to Renaud Girad (Le Figaro) in Islamabad. He said that "I make a cry for Europeans: help us more because we are the sick man of Asia". He said this in response to the question that "the European Union is the largest trading partner of Pakistan and its first donor. What message do you have for it?"
President Zardari was asked, "What is the legacy left by military dictatorships that have succeeded throughout the history of Pakistan?" And he answered thus: They have denied all human progress, cultural, intellectual, and political. In a democracy, a government that succeeds or fails always leaves behind a lesson. Martial Law, which is the opposite of the rule of law, always interrupts progress. A negative energy is spreading in the nation, with consequences that we know."
Around noon on Wednesday the Aaj TV reported this interview and then asked two senior familiar journalists on how they viewed the President's statement that Pakistan was the sick man of Asia. In Urdu it sounded even worse? I wonder.
The two journalists were Mujibur Rehman Shami and Nazir Naji and they came with spontaneous and detailed responses to what President Zardari had reportedly told Renaud Girad a couple of days ago While Shami did not appear to agree with what had been said of Pakistan as being the "sick man of Asia", he said that it seemed to be a rather exaggerated view of the country's picture today.
But veteran journalist Naji opined that perhaps this was a realistic look and diagnosis of Pakistan's ills, which would enable the country to find remedies in the days ahead. I am writing this on Wednesday night and it seems likely that this quote from this particular interview is going to be further quoted in a variety of contexts in the days ahead.
HEROIC MUNTAZER AL -ZAIDI: The daring Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi who threw his shoes at President Bush has become a hero not just in Iraq, but the world over, and a kind of a symbol of defiance.
A report from Baghdad said that "the little known Shia reporter said to have harboured anger against Bush for the thousands of Iraqis who died after the US led invasion of 2003, and that he had briefly made headlines once in 2007 when he was kidnapped by armed gunmen."
Zaidi shouted "This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog". His employers independent Baghdadiya TV has demanded his release. The Iraqi government has termed him as a barbarian, and Bush said that it was the strangest incident in his term as President. Will he set trends? TV channels have been showing repeatedly the way he threw his shoes at Bush, which among other things is a ferocious criticism of his policies throughout the world.
ONLY ISLAMABAD TONIGHT? As I watched Islamabad Tonight on Aaj TV on 15th December (the night before the fall of Dhaka, 37 years ago) I wondered why only 'Islamabad Tonight'. Why don't we have Peshawar tonight, or Lahore tonight, or Quetta or Karachi tonight?
Or even Pakistan tonight? Each of these would have so much to tell, report, analyse, reflect. There is much that is happening in this country today, and for some time now. And the world has not just increased its media presence in Pakistan but from the shape of things global there is that much more pressure and expectation from this country.
From the point of view of the ordinary TV viewer, which is what I regard myself at most times, something like Karachi tonight would be eminently viewable. Try and imagine Lahore tonight or Peshawar or Quetta tonight. 'Islamabad Tonight' has its own relevance. But have not things gone beyond the Federal capital, even though much is happening there?
Journalist Nadeem Malik, who has moved from CNBC Pakistan to AAJ TV, anchors 'Islamabad Tonight'. And this is currently a weekly hour long show, and from what we have seen so far, it has the potential to engage the politically inclined viewer. That we are in political times, and that this mood is likely to extend further, beyond one's imagination is stating the obvious. A word about Nadeem Malik: his spontaneous ability to almost suddenly bring in a common man's perspective is something that is appreciated. His willingness to doubt the official claim, and government contention is welcome.
'Islamabad Tonight' touched upon various themes, and the principal guest invited was the Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping, Nabil Ahmad Gabol, who explained and defended very stoutly different aspects of Pakistan's current foreign and domestic policies.
Indeed, a great deal of focus on Pakistan's all round policies is the subject matter of almost all the editorial content of our TV channels today. Of course Nadeem Malik kept presenting him with dissenting opinions and questions, and the Federal Minister who is also a senior PPP member, spoke his mind as the conversation moved from one theme to another.
Some of the subjects they talked about included Gordon Brown's visit to Pakistan, and why President Asif Ali Zardari and not Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was present at the British Prime Minister's press conference.
Then there was reference to the Indian air force planes flying in four miles deeper into Pakistani air space, by way of flagrant Pakistan, in current state of Pakistan-India relations (another recurring high profile theme on the channels), the ban on Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) following the United Nations verdict and related subjects, and the shoes that were thrown at President George Bush by the young Iraqi journalist, Muntazar al-Zaidi. The shoes thrown at the American President has been a consistent theme ever since it happened and one does wonder what kind of trends this courageous defiance of a journalist could set.
All these themes have been repeatedly discussed on various channels, with varying levels of emphasis and emotion, and all of which has gone to reflect the difficult situation that Pakistan is in. The senior journalist Irfan Siddiqui who also appears on other channels spoke on the phone in this programme and said categorically that the present government was so far following the policies of former President Pervez Musharraf, even though the government has been in office for almost eight months now.
BALOCH VOICE, TV STATION: A PPI story datelined Karachi has appeared in this daily on Wednesday, 17th December, with the headline "Munir Mengal claims he was asked by Musharraf to abandon TV project". Munir Mengal is associated with a TV station called Baloch Voice, which has been in the news for a few years now.
Here are some extracts from it which are revealing. Says PPI, "Munir Mengal has told Paris based international organisation Of Journalists" Reporters without Borders that while held incommunicado, he was taken to see the then president General Pervez Musharraf in Karachi on 26th October 2006, who asked him to abandon his satellite TV station project in return for his release.
"Pervez Musharraf was waiting for me in a room with two other army officials. After apologising for the way I had been treated, Musharraf asked me in English to give up my TV station project. He promised to release me if I pulled out of the media domain. He also offered me a copy of his book so that I could appreciate his commitment to Pakistan. After refusing his deal I was taken back to my cell and was tortured by agents again."
Munir Mengal, interviewed in a European country where he has found refuge, also said that Tariq Aziz, (an aide of Musharraf) offered him a political appointment and money in return for abandoning the planned "Baloch Voice" TV station.
The story quotes "Reporters without Borders" as having said that "Munir Mengal's shocking and damning account should prompt Pakistan civilian authorities to open an immediate investigation into the case". It further said that "it is inconceivable that those responsible for this political abduction be allowed to go unpunished."
Some of the facts as reported in this story indicate that Mengal was arrested on 4th April 2006, when he landed at the Karachi airport. A military officer in civilian dress arrested him, and confiscated his passport and took him to a detention camp in Malir.
At one point he was asked questions like, "Why do you want to create this TV station?" Who gave you the idea? Who is supporting you? Mengal also provides details of the torture that he was subjected to. Mengal was released on 4th August 2007 after he was held incommunicado for more than 16 months.
Following court decisions and a public campaign, he was "smuggled out of the Sindh province" but he was arrested two days later (September 2007) and placed in Khuzdar prison in Balochistan under the Maintenance of Public Order Act. Eventually on 23rd February this year Baloch policemen enabled him to leave Khuzdar prison--- where an officer "threatened to kill him". He rejoined his family, went into hiding for several weeks and managed to leave Pakistan via Turbat airport". Reading this story brought into focus once again the subject of missing persons in the country, and which subject is interlinked to not just the government of former President Musharraf but also the way in which this country functions.
It also makes one contemplate the problems of Balochistan, which with the passage of time, and the war against terror appear to have been aggravated. And given the challenges, frustrations, and threats that the country faces today, at this point in time, the long-standing woes of Balochistan appear bigger than ever before.
OVEREXPOSED: In a morning show on News One the anchor woman received a phone call from a woman viewer who said that she was making this first ever phone call because she was so relieved and pleased that the guest that morning (Wednesday) was the veteran actress Ayesha Khan.
She said that she was making this phone call because of the fact that she was happy to see Ayesha Khan rather than the over exposed actors and actresses who appear repeatedly -on one channel or the other.
There is truly something to think about--- for that is also the case with many of the experts who appear on the various panel discussions and audience participation shows that are held by the channels. Is it a lack of imagination on the part of the producers, directors and anchors that there is repeated overexposure? Some male and female faces are enough to make one switch the channel. No names, please!! (nusratnasarullah0@gmail.com)
-----------------------------------------------------------
N A D E E M M A L I K
Director Programme
AAJ TV
ISLAMABAD
00-92-321-5117511
nadeem.malik@hotmail.com
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