On Tuesday, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information, Firdous Ashiq Awan, announced the Pakistan government’s plan to establish special media tribunals or ‘media courts’, which would deal with all media-related cases.
These courts would be bound to deal with the cases within 90 days. Ms. Awan said the government would get a law passed in Parliament to establish the tribunals.
At present, media-related cases (mostly against journalists and media-houses) are being dealt with by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) and the Press Council of Pakistan. But once the media courts are established, PEMRA would refer such cases to them, said Ms. Awan.
The announcement has kicked up a storm with Opposition politicians, journalists and rights groups slamming the government for attempts to curb media freedom.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it is “deeply concerned” at the government’s move. “Given the government’s woeful record on press freedoms,” the HRCP urged it to refrain from putting further pressure on the media.
In a statement, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the way the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government deals with its opponents and critics “is reminiscent of the Salem witch trials (the 17th century prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts). Based on frivolity and falsehoods, the PTI’s narrative is right out of Goebbels’ propaganda playbook”.
Senior journalist and anchorperson Arshad Sharif said Prime Minister Imran Khan is walking in the footsteps of dictators to clamp down on the media after failing to fulfil his promises to the people. “He has become a prisoner of his own rhetoric and is now suffering from performance anxiety. Media is a mirror and the Prime Minister is not liking his image which he used to love while being in the Opposition.”
‘A petty and vindictive govt.’
Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar of the PPP told The Hindu that the Opposition knows how petty and vindictive this government is.
“All those journalists who are critical of the government will be taken to task under these proposed tribunals. We will not let the government control the media and will never support such a move in Parliament,” said Mr. Khokhar, who’s also a spokesperson of Mr. Bhutto-Zardari.
In the words of journalist Ajmal Jami, there will be a fear factor hanging over the heads of journalists once media courts are opened. “Journalism will be limited to press releases, and the margin to investigate and analyse the situation will be minimised.” Prime Minister Khan used to praise the Pakistani media for standing up against corruption but now when the same media questions his government, the PTI wants to put curbs on them, he added.
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Journalist Benazir Shah said the last thing the media in Pakistan needs is more censorship. “Questions are already being raised about the democratic credentials of the PTI. Since it came to power in July (2018), it has been making one proposal after another to regulate the local media.”
Ms. Shah recalls how first came the idea of an all-encompassing media regulatory body — the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA) — and the media tribunals. “Interestingly, media owners, journalists and media bodies were not consulted before drafting the proposal.”
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maiza Hameed believes that from the moment this government came into power, “we — who had for years sacrificed and struggled to secure this country’s democratic foundations — were worried that our decades of hard work would be undone by the fascist mindset of one man in power.”
Ms. Hameed told The Hindu that with the Cabinet approval of these so-called media tribunals, “we are seeing just that.” “This is perhaps the last proof that was needed to be seen by the public. This government wants to curb all expression of criticism or opposition to their tyranny. The media now needs to recognise this government for what it is and join hands with the Opposition parties and the public to oppose such moves before it is too late.”
Amid mounting criticism, the government softened its stance. On Friday, Ms. Awan said the government had not yet prepared any final draft of the proposed legislation and promised consultation with stakeholders. But she stopped short of saying whether the proposal would be withdrawn in the wake of protests.
Mehmal Sarfraz is a journalist based in Lahore
