Pakistan conspiracy theories stifle debate about important issues.

Great analysis from Ahmed Rashid on BBC today about the conspiracy industry in Pakistan’s media, and how it’s stifling real debate about the important issues that we’re facing.

Switch on any of the dozens of satellite news channels now available in Pakistan.

You will be bombarded with talk show hosts who are mostly obsessed with demonising the elected government, trying to convince viewers of global conspiracies against Pakistan led by India and the United States or insisting that the recent campaign of suicide bomb blasts around the country is being orchestrated by foreigners rather than local militants.

Viewers may well ask where is the passionate debate about the real issues that people face – the crumbling economy, joblessness, the rising cost of living, crime and the lack of investment in health and education or settling the long-running insurgency in Balochistan province.

The answer is nowhere.

One notable channel which also owns newspapers has taken it upon itself to topple the elected government.

Another insists that it will never air anything that is sympathetic to India, while all of them bring on pundits – often retired hardline diplomats, bureaucrats or retired Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officers who sport Taliban-style beards and give viewers loud, angry crash courses in anti-Westernism and anti-Indianism, thereby reinforcing views already held by many.

While some will excuse this sort of thing as “harmless entertainment,” there is a good chance that it is really not as harmless as they might think. The explosion in these conspiracy theory shows has virtually drowned out reasoned debate in the media.

Rashid explains the rise of the conspiracy media:

The explosion in TV channels in Urdu, English and regional languages has brought to the fore large numbers of largely untrained, semi-educated and unworldly TV talk show hosts and journalists who deem it necessary to win viewership at a time of an acute advertising crunch, by being more outrageous and sensational than the next channel.

On any given issue the public barely learns anything new nor is it presented with all sides of the argument.

Every talk show host seems to have his own agenda and his guests reflect that agenda rather than offer alternative policies.

And  shows that these conspiracy theories aren’t just theories, they’re laughable nonsense:

Recently, one senior retired army officer claimed that Hakimullah Mehsud – the leader of the Pakistani Taliban which is fighting the army in South Waziristan and has killed hundreds in daily suicide bombings in the past five weeks – had been whisked to safety in a US helicopter to the American-run Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

In other words the Pakistani Taliban are American stooges, even as the same pundits admit that US-fired drone missiles are targeting the Pakistani Taliban in Waziristan.

These are just the kind of blatantly contradictory and nut-case conspiracy theories that get enormous traction on TV channels and in the media – especially when voiced by such senior former officials.

But with everyone clamoring to shout the most ridiculous nonsense, important discussions are being ignored.

Nobody discusses the failure of the education system that is now turning out hundreds of suicide bombers, rather than doctors and engineers.

Or the collapsing and corrupt national health system that forces the poorest to seek expensive private medical treatment, or the explosion in crime or suicides by failed farmers and workers who have lost their jobs.

Pakistan’s media is finally free. But, as with all freedoms, with media freedom comes responsibility. And here the media is failing us. Chasing the ever-present advertising dollars and fighting each other to boost ratings in the process, TV talk shows and even newspaper editorial boards have become more “entertainment” than information. The people who have the ability to shape the thoughts and opinions of the people, who have the ability to really influence public discussion in a positive way, are acting like clowns in a circus doing whatever is most ridiculous in order to get attention.

But while the media is derelict in its responsibilities, what is the consequence for Pakistan? As Rashid fears, it is is a public that is “confused, demoralised and angry.”

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then … anyone who tells you it is a duck must be hiding something. So goes the logic of conspiracy theories which are gaining increasing currency in Pakistan because of the wave of gun and bomb attacks in its towns and cities.

As reported in the New York Times, India, Israel and the United States are frequently blamed for the violence, as is the U.S. security company formerly known as Blackwater.

The Pakistani Taliban, according to al Jazeera, appear to have capitalised on that by blaming Blackwater for two attacks that most shocked Pakistanis — one a suicide bombing on a market crowded with women and children in Peshawar which killed more than 100 people and the other an attack on the Islamic University in Islamabad.“Surprisingly enough, this whole India-US-Israel theory has a lot of popular currency these days in Pakistan,” writes Asif Akhtar in a blog for Dawn newspaper. ”The myriad of television talk-shows on every news channel are heavily relying on this theory of a triangulated axis of evil out to destroy Islam and Pakistan with one nifty stone’s throw of insurgent terror.”

“If the present reasoning of global evils out to destroy Islam and Pakistan continues, then the only answer is the apocalyptic war which is talked about in fringe mythologies related to the arrival of the Antichrist. The last thing we want is for this to be a self-fulfilling prophecy!”

Foreign journalists have not escaped, being accused of working variously for the CIA, Mossad, and India’s R&AW spy agency, and of course, Blackwater, according to Marie-France Calle in her French-language blog for Le Figaro newspaper.

Conspiracy theories are not new to South Asia, and are usually driven by the assumption that some much more powerful nation must be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

They gained momentum during the 1980s when intelligence agencies ran the covert war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The collapse of the Soviet Union shortly after its withdrawal from Afghanistan underpinned a view of all-powerful intelligence agencies who could redraw the world map – no matter that many historians argue that the collapse was due to many other factors which were quite independent of its Afghan defeat.

“In the world of the conspiracy, powerful actors are not merely mortals with influence but rather god-like beings who direct geopolitics like an opera, and that is just how the powerful often appear to be in this country,” writes Mustafa Qadri in Britain’s Guardian newspaper. “By marshalling conspiracy theories many people, not just in Pakistan, abdicate responsibility for confronting the ills their societies face. If you are playing cards with a cheat, is there any point in trying to get a better hand?”

There is a fine line between conspiracy theories and a healthy scepticism about what those in power are saying. And there is always room for sensible discussion both about the agendas of intelligence agencies, and about the role of private security firms like Blackwater.

But in a country trying to re-establish itself as a democracy, and where economic development is seen as one of the better ways of draining support for the Taliban, how do you develop a strong civil society if voters are constantly being told they have no hope of change since everything is being run by a Hidden Hand?

This article by Myra MacDonald originally appeared on Reuters Blog on  the 17th of November.

Looking at the past week, one can see how resilient Pakistanis have become.  Suffering numerous suicide bomb attacks and wide-spread military action, we are here yet again, still standing.  But how long can we sustain ourselves at this current rate of demolition? How many times will we resist smacking the hammer on our own foot? Nowadays we seem to have become the offspring of Glenn Beck and the Republican Party.  With a constant denial of the harsh reality and a love for misconstruing and fabricating baseless facts that just aim to maim the United States, we seem to be struggling.  And when we struggle, we play the role of a secluded, spoilt child. 

Prior to 9/11, we perfected this character, but now the circumstances have changed. We can no longer do as we please without being held accountable for our actions.Pakistan has suffered.  Thousands of innocent lives have been lost at the hands of suicide bombs and ambush attacks.  Women have lost husbands, sons and brothers and it is despicable at the number of families that have suffered.  Much to the dismay of our right-wing journalists, I am not going to be making a presumed argument as to how India, Israel or even the United States are after Pakistan’s existence.  It’s just not happening, guys! I feel it would also be fruitless to engage in a history lecture as to who gave rise to the mujahedeen since various institutions in our country groomed them.  But by excluding so much, the foreign influence and historic aspect many would argue that I have no argument.  But for a split second, would it be possible to sit and analyze how we can carry ourselves into the future rather than dissecting the past?

Many times a day, we read in the newspapers and on the internet, the extent by which America has extended its influence within Pakistan.  From Blackwater to US diplomats wielding weapons and the constant chatter in regards to the Americans taking over our nuclear arsenal, we’ve heard it all.  I would like to take this opportunity and remind my avid readers that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are not hidden in any underground garage that can be easily picked up by “US diplomat”.  I have more faith in my military that protects such weapons than those journalists and commentators who seem to believe otherwise.

The United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, came and went.  Although she was given a red-carpet upon landing, there were times where her reception was – well – jagged.  Criticism and resentment towards the United States is understandable.  Issues ranging from drone attacks (which is debatable!), alleged presence of US personnel and expansion of the US embassy are some of the concerns Pakistanis share.  But how much credit have we given Hillary Clinton for taking the initiative of reaching out across the political spectrum?  Firstly, she stayed for three days.  Both President Bush and President Clinton had to arrive in secrecy in Pakistan, and the statements they made seem more like a photo-op than anything substantive.  Upon meeting specific people, both Presidents took off and that was the end of their journey into Pakistan.

Secretary Clinton on the other hand, not only met those in office, but those outside of office as well.  She took a step further and held a town-hall debate with students and met various journalists while giving time to Pashtun elders as well.  But was this enough to please our right-wing journalists? Of course not! They had problems with the type of journalists she met, the transparency of the business leaders she conversed with and the lack of money she brought with her.  Did they even dare comment on the extent to which she tried to rectify the failure of previous administrations?  We only felt too proud, when a journalist claimed that we are fighting America’s war.  Proud because we assumed someone was able to stand up to the mighty Clinton.  Unfortunately, the moderator failed to realize that when a Pakistani is killed on a daily basis, it becomes the responsibility of our government and our military, thus our war.

I fail to understand how we keep asking for more aid money and assistance from around the globe, but at the same time are completely unwilling to be held accountable for the pennies we spend.  We lambasted the IMF for bailing us out of near bankruptcy.  No doubt the IMF places stringent conditions when offering loans, but is it safe to assume that if we had the money, we would not need to be borrowing? Pakistan’s tax-GDP ratio is a number that is so micro, I don’t think it would be visible here.  On the other hand we enjoy receiving other countries money, as long as we do not tell them, where and how it is being spent.  Frankly speaking, it is not fair to use aid money in this manner of secrecy, nor should we allow other countries to micromanage us, just because we have been given their aid money.  This mantra of dil maange aur (the heart desires more) needs to stop.  And can only stop if we are faithful to ourselves.  Although we tend to be very egotistical when it comes all other issues, but taking a kashkol (begging bowl) to other countries seems to make us forget all about our ego.

Pakistan is at its wits end.  We must take the reins of our future and grasp them tightly.  Rooting out militants from South Waziristan is only a step towards cleansing our country of this disgusting and twisted ideology that causes inhumane persons to blow themselves up and kill others.  Condemning the United States will not stop a child in Lahore from gathering a bogus understanding of Islam that will cause him to take the lives of others, nor will it rid us of the poverty in Karachi and unemployment issues in Peshawar.  To counter this we need a united front in order to stop the ethnic tensions rising between us.  This is where your role as a Pakistani citizen comes into play.  All our lives we learnt not to point fingers at others, and now when the going gets tough, we find it only to easy blaming others for our predicaments.  At the end of the day, we all know our destiny lies only in our hands; no other country has control over it.  Believe it!

A few days ago, the education minister of Baluchistan was shot down outside of his house.  Tragic as it may seem, little attention was given to the horrific murder.  Ironically, no sizeable protests were carried out, nor were Facebook statuses changed to condemn the minister’s death.  A day’s worth of news stories were written in honor of the slain minister, but then our attention was focused on what our media views as the primary target, the United States.  Where is our humility and humanity? Have we become so immune to hearing about death, that we have stopped caring for those who leave this world?

Muslims pride in the belief of the afterlife and respect for our current existence.  But now it seems we just don’t give a damn about it all.  If I were to tell you that a governor was appointed for paying massive amounts of dollars or a minister is making money by selling LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) files, I can guarantee you no less than a thousand emails and text messages would be circulating Pakistan.  We are not a nation of drama queens.  Enough is enough!

I am not taking this opportunity to preach you on how to think, but rather pleading with you to find some humility and most important some dignity.  On the one hand we take immense pride in our flag, so much so, that we consider it less an offense and more a sin if the Crescent and Star were to touch the ground.  On the other hand, we have no problem burning any other nation’s flag.  Many of us have heard incidents where upon an accident, one party suffers due to the ‘political connection’ of the other.  If none comes to mind, let me repeat the unfortunate incident of April 20^th 2009, where a student of LUMS died due to drunk driving.  I won’t go into the specifics of the accident, but the drunk driver had ‘political connections’.  Although the LUMS students protested, after a few days, the incident fizzled out and nothing much became of it.  This episode was hardly covered by the media.  Today, a similar incident was reported by the media (no loss of life however was reported) with a lot of hue and cry.  Allegedly a drunken US diplomat ran a red light and rear ended a CDA (Capital Development Authority) vehicle.  The author of the news piece reporting on the accident concluded his articles with a passionate and emotional plead “the question once again is: is there any law applicable to Americans in Pakistan?”  By putting such a moving statement in the article, resentment for the US is bound to rise.  Is this healthy?  If only the newspaper could be so passionate in holding all MNA’s this accountable, if only!  Either law is egalitarian or everyone under the sun is prosecuted.

My argument here is to solely prove the malice with which we condemn the United States.  No one is saying their hands are clean.  They have caused much damage to our region.  But how clean are our hands?  At times we cheat the system and avoid the law and sometimes don’t mind paying a few hundred rupees to avoid a speeding ticket.  We love mocking the United States for their poor foreign policy, but do we salute them for their strong judiciary system?  Do we commend them for their work ethic?  Do we applaud their punctuality in the labor market? I’ll let you answer.

Muslims have been known throughout the world as being traditionalists.  We have a strong sense of brotherhood as was preached by our forefathers.  This notion of brotherhood stems out of not only our religion but culture as well.  Now it has come to the regrettable point where we hardly give attention to our lost citizens.  I want to emphasize the word “citizen” here.  A death in Punjab is as hurtful and upset as a loss of life in Baluchistan.  However, is this really the case?  Ethnic divisions are the root cause of the exploitation by not only the Establishment, but the political elite and militants who threaten our peace, security and freedom.  The isolation of the citizens belonging to the North and West has been carried out for far too long.  It is time show them the humility and humanity Pakistani’s are capable of.  Our nation is indivisible, and I’d like to keep it at that!  We need to stand up to those people who threaten our unity.  Let it be known, we will hunt them down, be they in Waziristan wielding Kalashnikovs or in newsrooms and media offices yielding a pen.  Enough is enough!

This week, Lahore daily The Nation was served legal notice for publishing a defamatory article against Mr. Haqqani. Ahmed Quraishi was a well-known supporter of Gen. Musharraf and seems to be completely obsessed with Husain Haqqani, writing about the envoy almost every day.

The article in question accuses Haqqani of blackmail and is based only on alleged conjecture by unnamed sources. Nowhere in the article does Quraishi provide any evidence that can be verified by independent parties, nor does he reveal any of the “unnamed sources” that supposedly told him the story. With a complete lack of evidence to support Quraishi’s thesis, Haqqani’s lawyers have demanded an immediate retraction and apology from The Nation for publishing the story.

The Nation, the newspaper that published the article in question, is edited by Dr. Shireen Mazari, who was famously referred to by Khalid Hasan as “the Ann Coulter of Pakistan,” and has been a thorn in the side of the Pakistani government and its Ministers and Ambassadors.

Haqqani’s lawyers filed the notice of libel pursuant to Defamation Ordinance, 2004 read with other enabling laws. They said the statements published in the newspaper are false and defamatory and such “malicious and reckless defamatory statements impugn the reputation of our client”. They demanded the newspaper publish, and post on its website, a written and unqualified apology within 14 days of the receipt of the notice, including a passage stating: “Today, we acknowledge that the ambassador has acted ethically, morally, and legally and retract the statements we made to the contrary. We apologise to the Pakistan ambassador to the US for the unfounded attacks made on his reputation.”

The ambassador’s legal counsel has also demanded the newspaper remove the defamatory article from its website immediately. However, it added, the newspaper must “preserve and not alter any paper or electronic files and other data generated by/or stored on your computers and storage media relating to matters addressed by this Notice of Libel”, adding failure to comply might result in sanctions being imposed by the court and liability in tort for spoiling evidence or potential evidence.

It would seem that Mr. Haqqani has finally had enough of Mr. Quraishi’s obsessive conspiracies, and has served notice not only to The Nation but to conspiracy theorists across the country that enough is enough.