نیچے دی گئی ایک کلپ ملاحضہ فرمائیے۔

اس ویڈیو کو دیکھنے کے بعد یہ صاف واضع ھو جاتا ھے کہ کامران خان مصطفہ کمال کی تعریف کرتے نہیں تھکتے اور درمیانہ روی اختیار کرنے کے بجائے ام کیو ایم کی طرف داری کرنا شروع ھو گے۔

جو بات کامران خان صاحب کے روئیے سے پتا چلتی ھے وہ ھے کہ عوام کے جزبات پر کھیلتے ھوئے صرف اپنی ریٹنگ بڑھانہ ایک نہایت گری ھوئی بات ھے اور اینکر حضرات کو وہ سوالات کرنے چاھیں جو کہ اب تک نھیں اٹھائے گئے ھیں۔ جو بات کامران خان صاحب کے روئیے سے پتا چلتی ھے وہ ھے کہ عوام کے جزبات پر کھیلتے ھوئے صرف اپنی ریٹنگ بڑھانہ ایک نہایت گری ھوئی بات ھے اور اینکر حضرات کو وہ سوالات کرنے چاھیں جو کہ اب تک نھیں اٹھائے گئے ھیں۔

کامران خان صاحب سے چند سوالات پاکستان میڈیا واچ بھی کرن چاھے گی۔ کیا انہوں نے اپنے پروگام میں چٹ پٹی مصالحہ دار گپ شپ کے بجائے کبھی مندرجہ ذیل سوالات اٹھائے ھیں۔

1. کیا اس بات کا پتا چلانا ضروری نہیں تھا کہ اسامہ بن لادن پچھلے پانچ سال میں پاکستان میں کیسے موجود تھا بجائے اس کے کہ ملکی خودمختاری کا رونا رویا جائے۔
2. بڑے ناموں والے سیاست دانوں نے اپنے سرکاری یا سیاسی عہدے کیوں چھوڑے۔
3. گورنر پنجاب کا قتل صرف ایک آدمی کے سر پر ھے یا اس کا قصوروار ھمارہ معاشرہ ھے جس نے ان حالات کو پنپنے کی اجازت دی۔
4. پی۔این۔ایس مہران کے حملہ وار آخر کون تھے۔
5. وفاقی وزیر شہباز بھٹی کا قاتل کون ھے اور کیا مسلمان نہ ھونا ھی صرف انہیں قتل کرنے کے لیے جواز کافی ھے۔
6. کیا دھشت گردی کراچی کے بڑھتے ھوئے خراب حالات کی ذمہ دار نھیں ھے۔
7. کیا الطاف حسین اور ذولفقار مرزا صاحبان کی الزام تراشیاں ملک کے حق میں اچھی ھیں۔

کسی بھی اینکر کا  اصل مقصد اپنی رائے نہیں بالکہ اپنے مہمان کی رائے اور پرسپیکٹؤ لینا ھوتا ھے۔ اپنی ذاتی رائے گھول کر عوام کو خبروں کے روپ میں پیش کرنا نا صرف غلط ھے بالکہ ان پروفیشنل بھی۔

اول بات تو یہ دوم یہ کہ کامران خان ایک مشہور اور پرانے اینکر پرسن ھیں۔ انہیں اس بات کا احساس ھونا چاہیے کہ عوام تک ضروری اور سچی خبر پہنچانے کی ذمہ داری ان کے کندھوں پر ھےعوام ٹاک شوز اس لئے دیکھتی ھے تاکہ  اسےاس بات کا علم ھو سکے کہ مسائل کی وجوہات اور ان کے حل کیا ھیں۔۔

Consider the column by Shaheen Sehbai featured on the front page of The News today which basically amounts to an anti-Zardari campaign sheet rather than an actual news report. While the editors clearly labeled the piece “Commentary”, one is left to wonder why this could not be placed on the Opinion page and whether the commentary is honest analysis or simply Sehabi continuing his predictions of a failed government now going into three years after elections.

For example, this is Shaheen Sehbai’s ‘Commentary’ on the Altaf Hussain-Zardari relationship:

The levels of playing fields for both these leaders, sitting as part of a coalition which is sinking, or doomed to sink no matter how long it is artificially stretched, are noteworthy. Altaf Bhai appears to have acquired a much higher moral ground because Zulfiqar Mirza and company have pulled Zardari and the PPP down to below ground level.

But the level Zardari has set for sticking to some morals in politics is pathetically sub-surface and almost non-existent. An important columnist and writer recently remarked that he had never heard the word “corruption” in any of Zardari’s speeches and addresses. Anti-corruption and accountability for the present rulers means how to escape and kill both these dragons.

Despite the defection of Maulana Fazl-ur-Rahman, there is little evidence to support the claim that the coalition government is ‘doomed’. To the contrary, recent reports linked to in the first paragraph of this post demonstrate quite the opposite – coalition and opposition parties dedicated to seeing the democratically elected government complete its full term.

But Shaheen Sehbai takes the political rhetoric of some opposition leaders and makes a warning against Nawaz that he should “stop the Zardari train”.

The opposition, led by Nawaz Sharif, is the most confused lot as they share power and fear the Army but by ignoring the rapid collapse of every institution, they are proving that the political system is unable to correct itself. If the politicians cannot stop the rot, someone will have to do so. By not doing anything, Nawaz Sharif is inviting others to intervene. This is what he fears but this he probably does not understand.

Again, this is not commentary or analysis of the day’s news, it is the campaigning rhetoric one expects to hear from a rally loudspeaker. Shaheen Sehbai has started with his conclusion – that Zardari is doomed – and has built his commentary around this rather than looking at the facts and determining a conclusion based on those.

Obviously, Sehbai is entitled to his own opinion. But as consumers of news, we are also entitled to ask whether it is useful for our understanding of events. Cafe Pyala reports today that Jang Group is making some interestng personnell changes that appear to be a sincere effort to temper the over-the-top anti-Western rhetoric that has crept into its organization’s reporting on foreign policy and provide a more balanced, reasoned reporting and analysis. Perhaps it would be worth considering to do something similar related to domestic politics as well.

Fasi Zaka has a new installment in what appears to be a series on the treatment of Dr. Aafia by news media. If you will recall, Fasi made a startling claim a week ago that TV anchors were deliberately misreporting the Dr. Aafia case. This week, he continues his expose by analyzing several shows and asking an excellent question: “Is this journalism or jingoism?

Dr Aafia has been hijacked, and not just by the Americans, who had her flown to the US and gave her a dubiously excessive punishment for attempted murder, but by the Pakistani media itself.

Just recently Meher Bokhari conducted a TV programme on Samaa on Dr Aafia Siddiqui, and it was an atrocious attack on the idea of responsible, or even mildly responsible journalism. She opened her piece on the programme with an emotional plea about the “daughter of the nation” and how “time” would ask Musharraf about his actions. Is this journalism or jingoism?

If she had attached sideburns and worn flare pants she would be a shoo-in for deceased actor Mohammad Ali with a shout of “judge sahib!” inevitably coming our way. Guests on her programme were Dr Aafia’s sister, Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, Senator Talha of the JUI and senior ‘analyst’ Zaid Hamid.

Zaid Hamid immediately went off on an amazing tale of why the Americans were after Dr Aafia. He explained that she was a neurologist who had biological weapons’ knowledge that the Americans were afraid of, and that her Indian MIT students were complicit in the frame-up and even went to question her in jail in Afghanistan. I like fiction, but this is too much. Dr Aafia’s two children are in the custody of her family, with one missing, but in the programme the killing of two children was being stated as fact.

To this hogwash Meher Bokhari said nothing, and it looked like she was ready to let things slide until Dr Aafia’s sister said that her sister has a PhD in education, specifically on learning by imitation. Senator Talha then, despite having just heard this, and having been on jaunts to the US on government money to see Dr Aafia in person, said Dr Aafia’s PhD was on lining up “discarded” children.

Again, Meher Bokhari had no interest in correcting anything or playing a responsible role. On a CNBC programme I was on, I mentioned this to Senator Talha when he repeated the same tripe (this was after the Samaa programme), after which a shouting match began where the guests were only interested in haranguing Marvi Memon, who was also present.

In all this, the only voice of sanity was Dr Fauzia. But no one was interested in her because it spoilt everyone else’s agenda. Meher Bokhari kept asking the rhetorical question, “What did Aafia do that cannot be forgiven?” clearly ignoring the issues prior to 2003 when Dr Aafia was on the radar for association with al Qaeda. The UN report never came up.

Zaid wants to use Dr Aafia for cutting off ties with the Americans, Senator Talha for cheap political mileage and Meher Bokhari for playing to the gallery. Dr Fauzia also presented a hypothetically logical reason for why the Americans have done what they have to Dr Aafia. But again, that was of no interest to Meher Bokhari and Co. Why bring logic into the equation? Frankly this particular programme of Meher Bokhari made Fox look good in comparison.

And now, the MQM – for ages not a word about the Aafia case until the Imran Farooq murder. Two pieces of information inconclusively suggested the murder may have been an intra-party affair, the first being a report in The Guardian and the second a vague statement by Scotland Yard. This was followed by a flurry of activity by the MQM for Dr Aafia.

Quite possibly the motive, entirely circumstantial at this stage, is to put the party on an anti-western front, especially with regard to their system of justice. And should things turn ugly in London, the championing of Dr Aafia’s ‘cause’ will serve as the pretext for pursuit of a criminal case – in a western court of law – against the party. After holding a rally for Dr Aafia, Dr Fauzia wryly remarked that it would have been better had it been held years earlier.

To get Dr Aafia back and to help commute her sentence will only be done by a more rational approach. That, however is unlikely to happen given the ways of the Aafia mafia.

This week, of course, he takes aim at the response to the NRO verdict and the ‘hyperventilating’ that came from every famous TV anchor:

The Supreme Court’s verdict on the NRO was certainly an unprecedented event. 

However, the night the verdict was announced, every famous TV anchor was jumping and hyperventilating; some almost foamed at the mouth as if struck by a strange, sudden bout of happiness. 
What is this, I thought? Have we won Kashmir? Have we triumphed in the war against the Taliban? Or have we finally eradicated poverty, illiteracy and hatred from Pakistan? 

I mean, I have never seen these anchors sound so excited. Not even during Musharraf’s resignation, and when the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudry was reinstated. Indeed, the like TV anchors were grinning (and rightly so) during these two episodes, but I wondered, exactly why such a show of overwhelming exhilaration over this particular event?

But, then, of course, I thought. What better reason and time than now to put peddle to the metal against the electronic media’s favourite punching bags: Asif Ali Zardari and Altaf Hussain. Never mind what ever happened to the pending case that Asghar Khan had submitted in the courts against the ISI’s blatant misdoings while constructing a superficial front against the PPP in the rickety shape of the IJI. Just stick to Zardari. Because the individual in Pakistan is always bigger (and more venerable) than the whole. Easy to understand, castigated and got rid of. 

As more and more former judges continued to burst the anchors’ euphoric bubbles that day by suggesting calm, and saying that the matters of the court were just too technical and complex to rush to any glorious conclusions, the anchors eventually went all upright. The ‘technical talk’ in this respect that the anchors were already somewhat struggling with, suddenly turned moralistic. After all, peachiness becomes the refuge of the politically biased, or of men unconvincingly trying to communicate an air of objectivity.

Within hours of the verdict when the former judges failed to say what the anchors were hoping them to, the word ‘akhlaq’ (morality) cropped up. In a brazen display of utter subjectivity, many of such anchors did not hesitate to float the idea that the president and those ministers whose names were on the NRO beneficiary list, should resign on ‘moral grounds.’ 

First of all, these anchors can easily find themselves in glasshouses when it comes to matters like aqhlaq. We have all seen how much of this aqhlaq is present in their talk shows on which folks have been known to start sounding like right-wing anarchists who are willing to mutilate and sacrifice the presidency, democracy and parliament at the altar of unsubstantiated accusations and assorted reactionary claptrap. 

Secondly, such anchors were openly lamenting the constitutional clause that protects the president from facing the courts, and I am sure many of their equally disappointed viewers must also be lamenting the fact that there was no manly military dictator at the helm who could flick aside the constitution, like Ziaul Haq, who is on record as saying: ‘What is a constitution? Nothing but just a piece of paper.’

Innocent until proven guilty. What’s so complicated about that? And couple this with the obvious political nature of the many ‘corruption’ and ‘criminal’ cases against the PPP and MQM leaders, let the honourable courts decide who is guilty or not.

Who are we to point fingers? Who are we to cast the first stone? And all this rap about akhlaq; for heaven’s sake, forget about the high and the mighty, how many of us educated, middle-class folks can call ourselves spotless? Take a small example: How many of us are willing to show any decency to, say, a lowly paid traffic cop? How many of us do not have that instinctive thought of bribing our way out of a traffic violation, or out of any other crime (petty or otherwise)? 

This most certainly is not a defence of corrupt politicians. It is a plea to look at the system. A system that each one of us — from the so-called feudal and upper-middle classes all the way to the middle-class — benefit from. We bribe, break the law, lie, cheat, all in the name of survival, and then when guilt strikes, we select our favourite punching bags in the shape of elected politicians and bash them, all the while remaining quiet for years when ruled by an unconstitutional military dictator; or even when men who blow themselves up in public live and plot in our neighbourhoods. There is little or no hue and cry then. 

On the other end, sometimes this guilt leaves us suddenly rediscovering God and religion. Then it’s back to going on a rampage of punching venerable scapegoats, this time in the name of faith. Thus, I believe, in this country it is hypocrisy that is the major cause of corruption. So stop thinking that it’s democracy that is to be blamed. 

Remember East Pakistan? No uniformed strong man or a mard-i-momin can save a country as diverse as ours. Stop getting lost in the middle-class fantasies of powerful men and glorious conquests. Vote, and then wait to vote out whom you do not like. Stop falling prey to fascist escapades dressed as patriotism, uprightness and worst of all, akhlaq.