The Press in Pakistan has weathered many a storm, with various military dictators and their proteges attempting to gag it.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif' who feels homesick in the Federal Capital Islamabad spends his weekends in . he invited some two hundred Leaguers (one hopes on PML (N) expenses) from Karachi to get a face-to-face feedback on his Sindh venture. He had yet another good news for the country folk: it was about the establishment of Military Trial Courts throughout the country. To begin with such courts are to be established in , Rawalpindi and Multan. Earlier he had told at the conclusion of his telephonic conversations that his efforts were directed to words creating a civilised society.

The PTV prime time news bulletin on Sunday of which half the time was consumed by the federal chief executive also included a caller's plea to continue with 'phansis' (hangings). The dutiful PTV news editor did not opt to excise the said plea perhaps to establish and emphasise that there is a popular demand for hangings!

The last weekend's telephonic conversations including the ones about applauding the imposition of Governer's rule in Sindh, establishment of military trial courts and their subsequent exercise through an ordinance rubber stamped by a former member of our superior judiciary (who happens to be our president and who also made a point to applaud the work these MTCs were doing), all came on the eve of the apex courts's day-to-day bearings about their legality or otherwise. Distinguished members of our superior judiciary have often made it known that they are least influenced by what transpires in public and therefore there is no need to bother about the timing of the latest enactment or the phansi pleas.

What should bother all those who are interested in the democratic future of Pakistan is the perception of the country's elected chief executive of a civilised society. As one of the earliest recruits of General Ziaul Haq's political team. Mr Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is no novice to politics. Like many if not most, the present day political leaders had their  initial training under military dictators all of whom contributed to the brutalization of Pakistan society. Most such recruits learnt that power, pelf, prominence (sic) et al; was achievable through the use of arm twisting, violence and brute force. Intellect going through the mill capacity to argue with reason and compassion for fellow humans was not the forte of those who joined military dictators bandwagons. They also preferred bluff and deception instead of good governance and keeping before themselves the principle of greatest good the largest number even while they paid lip service to the same. 

The so-called civilised society that Mr Nawaz wishes to usher in has a very unique agenda. It began with usurpation of the power of legislators to his personal diktat. Amongst others the Leaders of Opposition Benazir Bhutto was also amongst the first to appeal it as she too desired to Raj over Having timed the PML (N) legislators into robots only used to shout 'ayes' and 'ays' or raise their hands and clap the next was the turn of the apex court with its Chief being humiliated and finally ousted and denied proper pension benefits. Next on the chopping block was the collaborating former President who could not be ousted for obvious reasons and was required to be replaced by one who makers it a point to reassure him about his loyalty. the present incumbent only seeks such small favours as the suspension of a deputy superintendent of police and transfer of his erring boss.

The pursuits of the Prime Minister also included imposition of special courts and when these failed to deliver justice at the doorstep (that in practical terms means delivery of dead bodies whether these be through hangings till death custodial or extra judicial killings commonly called public muqabla in our vernacular dailies. All the pleas of the superior judiciary and those who insist upon due process and rule of law to provide the needed funds to bring about the required increase in judicial officials for common courts carry no weight. Whenever our Prime Minister has considered the issues related to law and order they have invariably made allocations for facilitating the coercive machinery. Little though is ever given to enlarge the judicial machinery. An independent study carried out during 1997-98 brought the fact to the fore that more than four under trial prisoners were rotting in prisons for every convict causing serious problems for the inmates besides burdening the exchequer. Most of them are charged with trivial crimes. At the time of the study their number stood at around 65,000 human beings most of them bonafide citizens of Only brutalised persons with sadistic tendencies can feel some satisfaction that one fourth of convicts over 3000 human souls await their fate in death cells. Can any civilised society and for the matter one that claims and boasts of being followers of the Rehmat-ul-Alameen find any satisfaction to learn the same? Add to these the plight of victimised females who rot in prisons for the sin of having been victims of rape.

What sort of a civilised society does our heavily mandated prime Minister perceive when so called khidmat committees which comprise totally of hand-picked individuals but are being accorded more and more powers through arbitrary enactment. The ploy is being publicised by monopolised electronic and hanger on print media as an antidote for the status quo. But with its non representative character it is just another aberration that the government wants to install to block democratic development and emergence of civil society to truly challenge the status quo.

The litmus test in Pakistan as to the direction that encumbers any time are envisaging as been their approach towards print media not directly under government control. Like earlier regimes who sought regimentation of Pakistani society and adopted divisive tactics to attach the Press the government of Mr Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has tried to tackle dissent. On this occasion Jang, Aman and Parcham have been picked to be targeted first. The Press it needs to be said is the voice of the international community. The press in Pakistan has weathered many a storm. All the military dictators and their proteges have attempted to gag the pakistani press and all of them have been consigned to the dustbin of Pakistan's short but quite instructive history. The failings of any group of publications notwithstanding the duty of defending Nawaz government's moves against private sector publications needs to be resisted by every one committed to the ideal of a free and independent Press and shares and follows the views of the founder of the nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah about the Press. At the moment it has acquired prime importance socially politically and professionally.

(The Nation 2.2.1999)

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