On 19th December, ‘Capital Talk’, one of Pakistan’s most watched current affairs programs, aired a special episode on Balochistan, focussing on statements made by Baloch leader Attaullah Mengal that the Pakistan army was committing atrocities in the province. The next day, Hamid Mir, the anchor of the program, received the following message on his Blackberry:
“I have not seen a real bastard than you. i wish somebody comes and strip you naked. i hope some Army man has not done real dirty with your dear ones.”
The text was followed by a flurry of messages declaring Mir, one of Pakistan’s most prominent journalists, a RAW, CIA and Mossad agent. According to him, the messages came from intelligence agencies, a treatment he claims happens every time his show casts the military in an unfavourable light, saying “I am sure that security establishment of Pakistan is once again angry with all those who will raise questions about the political role of Army.” Mir warned that “if anything bad happens with me or my “dear ones” the security establishment will be responsible”.
Hamid Mir’s experiences are emblematic of the harsh adversities faced by journalists in Pakistan, ranging from threats and intimidation to collateral and targeted killings. This year the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) declared Pakistan as the world’s deadliest country for journalists, with 7 media personnel killed in the line of duty in 2011. Among the victims was Asia Times reporter Saleem Shehzad, who was abducted by unidentified people a day after he wrote a piece claiming that the militant attack on a naval base in Karachi was orchestrated with the help of radical elements within the Pakistan Navy. The next day, his corpse was found on the roadside of a remote village. He had been tortured to death.
As in the case of Hamid Mir, fingers have been pointed towards Pakistan’s intelligence agencies. Though the agencies and the military’s Inter Services Public Relations have denied any involvement, it has done little to dispel the notion that they are heavily engaged in monitoring or harassing journalists who try to present views against the military or political establishment. There is little done to find out the truth behind these activities. According to CPJ statistics, complete impunity exists in 95 percent of the cases of murdered journalists.
In a country like Pakistan where the public perceives little accountability towards the country’s rulers, the fledgling broadcast media has assumed a position as a surrogate accountability system, regularly reporting on corruption scandals or other crimes committed by the powers-that-be. It is widely perceived as a normative force, exemplified in its involvement in the movement to restore democratic rule in Pakistan. Such actions have made the public incredibly supportive of the media, but also earned them the ire of the establishment. It is commonly perceived that the security threats to journalists stem from working in conflict zones. But CPJ statistics have revealed that 53 percent of them were covering political beats, mostly in metropolitan areas.
The numerous threats faced by journalists have made it extremely difficult to report impartially and objectively, especially when the revelations threaten the status quo. Such actions towards the media do not just have a major impact on journalists, but also threaten the central pillar of the democratic state: Freedom of speech. If the practitioners of this freedom are facing death threats, what can one say about democracy in Pakistan?
PDF 
