The press under siege in Pakistan especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Rooh-ul-Amin

Around the world, there are outnumbering journalists’ organizations, always vociferously raising slogans for the freedom of press, rights of journalists including safety to their lives. Journalism, as we see is not yet free and whatever press freedom today we have is the outgrowth of the blood of the journalists fallen. In current day scenario especially in Pakistan keeping the candle of free journalism alive is tantamount to inviting death.

And this is not an exaggeration rather those who feel doubts may see the incidents of journalists killings and for that we will have to look back into history as there have been and 12 cases in 2008 and 8 cases of journalists murders in Pakistan in the year 2010 while as many as five journalists have been killed so far in 2011, which is a clear indication that this ill-fated community has been facing myriad challenges and hurdles. If we compare the war-torn Afghanistan with Pakistan, we can judge that journalists in Afghanistan are a bit safe. 2011, in Pakistan came with a more deadly pace as Sayyed Saleem Shahzad, the Asia Times Online Bureau Chief at Pakistan, who was picked up allegedly by intelligence agencies for unearthing the inside story of al-Qaeda and Pakistan army. His dead body was found after he went missing for four days. Though journalists organizations in and outside Pakistan raised their hues and cries but as past has shown us that nothing would change, and his murderers would remain hidden.

Just the other day our two journalist fellows lost their lives when they reached for the coverage of Khyber Bazaar blast. Asfandyar, reporter for Akhbar-e-Khyber died on the spot while a cub journalist Shafiullah Khan succumbed to injuries and died in Wah Cantonment.

Looking into the miseries and troubles of journalist community in Khyber Pakhunkhwa and tribal belt, two young journalists from Peshawar and members of Khyber Union of journalists, Salman Shahzad who works for an Urdu newspaper and Asiadispatch, and Wali Afridi successfully culminated their ‘Save the Journalists’ wheeling mission across pakistan. This is good that the young duo has returned safe to Peshawar from Karachi accomplishing their peace journey on bike but it is too sad that one of the two journalists, Salman Shahzad is facing threats as he had contributed to Asiadispatch (a news website owned by the slain Sayyed Saleem Shahzad) many truth divulging news articles and for his mission to save journalists in Pakistan. Once Salman contacted me that he wants to publish a news story about the nearly 4000 missing persons in Khyber Pakhutnkhwa and Fata, which are being kept in private houses by intelligence agencies and which had led to a serious contention between the federal and provincial government. He told me the KP government has adopted the stance that it cannot allocate funds for food, health care and accommodation of the missing persons and as the intelligence agencies work under the patronage of the federal government so it should bear all the costs for the missing persons who are kept in rented houses in Peshawar and its outskirts.

But looking into the sensitivity of the news I urged him to kill the story as personally I believe in ‘first life then journalism’ doctrine, nonetheless he was reluctant but when Saleem Shahzad paid the price for truth revealing, Salman realized that it would have put  him into troubles. Now he braggingly confesses that I have saved him from falling into the list of ‘killed journalists’. I also bore the brunt of opposing militancy in Bara Khyber Agency as the local militants blew up my house in mid-2010 for not hoisting their black flag on my house. And my elder brother was abducted by them and released him when after taking a heavy ransom.

Therefore I question the military establishment of my dear Pakistan that why did it prefer to stay in hibernation when militants factions were appearing in the entire tribal belt one after another.

Anyway, this is not the single event that has fallen on a journalist rather there are a dozen incidents but this is not the end as yet more journalists would hug the same fate especially the ones who believe in the absolute press freedom and in a situation like the one we are faced with.  

And it would not be incongruous if stated that both state and non-state actors are responsible alike for obstructing the free flow of information and candid analysis.

In most of the developing countries the threat is more from non-state actors than governments, such as Afghanistan, Sri Lanka while the case of Pakistan stands out because here the threat from state actors is more severe than non state actors. And if we talk what we have today it was not received in charity rather journalists laved it with their blood. Though press is relatively a bit little free in Global North, but to claim that absolute freedom of press exists there is a myth. In the US one cannot discuss American foreign military bases, which speak volumes of its military adventurism, and semi-free press. Similarly one cannot discuss the US and Israel close ties with a candid-pen.

As media is supposed to be fourth pillar of the state, and reaching this status press has fought a long way against those elements which always attempted to gag free voices. But it does not mean that press has won as journalists still are stuck in a whirl of challenges and miseries. And above the persecution of owners of newspapers and TV channels is yet anther problem which is more condemnable.

Such is the life of journalists in (Pakistan—the land of pure) yet the threat is hovering over the heads of hundreds of journalists but despite that they are performing their duties in the scenario of obscurities. Not to talk about journalists in other parts of Pakistan at least 80 journalists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata have been facing an incessant series of threats in one way or the other.

While giving way to the menaces from state and non-state actors, a few of them have preferred to shun their journalistic careers, which in no way is beneficial for press freedom and development of Pakistan.