In a message sent to media advocacy groups across the world, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan also warned that the journalists would not get the chance to repent their mistakes if they did not stop the criticism now.

The message, signed TTP media commission, Mohmand Agency, reminded the journalists that the Taliban had tolerated this “unbearable behaviour” from 2000 to 2014 but the time had come to put an end to this practice.

The message — “The global war of ideologies and the behaviour of media” — was sent to “heads and members of organisations working for the rights of media members around the world,” including the Reporters with­out Borders, and the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists. The CPJ posted the message on its site.

DAWN

The media wasn’t facing threats only from one side (the establishment) but it was multidimensional, including from the militant wings of political parties, said former editor of Dawn Saleem Asmi who chaired the moot.

Asmi sahib, despite not feeling well and finding it difficult to breathe, addressed the gathering briefly.

Social worker and human rights activist Mehnaz Rehman said journalists faced a perpetual death threat. She said they were killed, harassed and tortured by intelligence agencies, political parties and extremist forces like the Taliban. She said out of 34 journalists killed in the country, the murderer of only one could be brought to book. “The media is under siege,” she remarked and pointed out that the government hadn’t done enough to handle the situation. She said that according to a UN report Pakistan was the most dangerous country for journalists. Senior columnist and anchor Raza Rumi was attacked; luckily he was not wounded but his driver died. The Taliban had already put his name on their hit list that came out in February. Similarly, an Express News journalist Jamshed was attacked twice, as was the group’s coverage van.

‘Some channels are speaking the language of their owners … and journalism will be the only casualty’
Ms Rehman said the rating competition among TV channels was an impediment in the way of serious journalism.

She added that the menace of sectarianism was also creating differences between media persons as they find it hard to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. She quoted an incident in which an Ahmedi journalist, when he started writing for Baloch missing persons, received a call to warn him that if he didn’t stop writing on the subject, his identity of being an Ahmedi would be disclosed. The journalist had to flee the country, she said.

She said all the institutions commanded respect and that the army should be supported in its war against the Taliban.

In the end, she put forward three demands: media bodies and institutions make a code of conduct, working journalists share profits earned by their organisations, and there be no ban on any newspaper or channel.

Prof Tauseef Ahmed Khan said the absurdity of the situation where the government was saying that it would not shut down any media outlet, the Supreme Court hadn’t given any decision against any media house and yet the demand for the closure of Geo TV was coming from within media groups and no one was talking about bringing Hamid Mir’s attackers to justice.

Vice Chairman of the Human Rights Commission Asad Iqbal Butt said threat to journalists wasn’t a new phenomenon; it began when the Quaid-i-Azam was alive.

He argued that certain people were angry at the Hamid Mir incident and wondered what wrong had he said which caused such a furore. The agencies didn’t enjoy a good record, he mentioned, and touched upon the Asghar Khan case in which it was admitted that political parties were given funds. He feared efforts were being made to put curbs on journalism because of which lives of workers of Geo TV and Jang newspaper were in danger. The government should take action against those playing with religious sentiments, he demanded.

Media person Mazhar Abbas said the situation had come to a point where it appeared as if Hamid Mir shot someone instead of he himself being a victim. There was a time when media persons resisted efforts to gag media but at present voices from within their rank were demanding to shut down the channel as journalists were squabbling and calling each other names. The community that even a military dictator like Ziaul Haq couldn’t destroy had now weakened and that too by a single incident, he said.

He commented that if irresponsible journalism was witnessed on April 19, what followed it, and still going on, was also irresponsible journalism. Some channels were speaking the language of their owners and in the hullabaloo, “journalism will be the only casualty”, he said.

Farhat Parveen, Saeed Sarbazi, Imtiaz Khan Faran, Habib Junaidi and Liquat Sahi also spoke.

The event was conducted by Akhtar Baloch.

DAWN

In a strong statement issued on Monday, the commission said: “HRCP can no longer stay silent on the malicious campaign unleashed against Geo and the manner in which pressure is being brought to bear to close down the channel.”

It says that irrespective of what the HRCP or anyone else might think about Geo’s editorial judgment, instigating people to come out on the streets following charges of blasphemy is an extremely dangerous trend.

“HRCP must point out that the environment of fear that has been created is making the lives of journalists working for Geo extremely vulnerable. They are being intimidated and a large number of them have faced attacks. This trend is likely to escalate if the temperature is allowed to rise and it has the potential to spin out of control,” it further states.

The statement highlights that divisions in the media ranks do not augur well for the hard-won freedom that the media has. “It is regrettable that competitive media houses are adding fuel to the fire, without realising what they are being complicit in or what a dangerous precedent they are setting and that the same fire can engulf them too. It is in no one’s interest to unleash forces that are neither accountable nor answerable to anyone.

“HRCP is curious how cable operators have illegally banned Geo without instructions from Pakistan Electronic Media Regularity Authority (Pemra) and expects that the authorities would investigate this matter, if they have not done so already, and punish those acting out of bounds.”

The HRCP called upon the government, civil society and media organisations to take all necessary steps to de-escalate the situation, and put an end to this malicious campaign and intimidation of journalists so as to protect media freedom from taking any further blows.

The News

The media house urged the civil and military leaders to instruct the relevant police officers all over Pakistan to meet with management of Jang/Geo and discuss security steps which need to be taken immediately.

The copies of letter were also sent to the home secretaries, top police officials and director generals Rangers and Inter Services Public Relations.

In the letter, Geo further said that its employees including female staff, contributors, distributors and editorial writers are being followed, and sent threatening letters. They feel feared of being attacked as been accused of being anti-state and anti-army.

Geo’s Karachi Bureau Chief, who was staying at the AKU folowing the attack on Hamid Mir, was constantly followed and called a “traitor”. When he confronted his follower, he was told ‘It’s our job to keep an eye on you”, the letter said.

Geo cameraman Asif Kabeer who was attacked and severely beaten on April 29 as he was going to cover the Jamat-ud-Dawa and Al-Muhammadia Students rally in support of the Pakistan Army and Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in Rawalpindi. “They called him an Indian agent and threatened to kill him.” In another incident, the residence of the investigative reporter of The News, Imdad Soomro, was attacked and burnt on April 30 in Sehwan, Sindh.

The group chief executive’s car was also attacked when he visited his lawyer. As he entered the office of his lawyer, some people on motorcycles tried to smash the car window with iron bars and stones and sped away.

One of the editorial writer of a newspaper of same media group “The News” received a phone call at 4 am on April 30 in Islamabad; he was told to stop writing for “The News” and threatened with dire consequences if he didn’t stop. He also found an envelope slipped under the door containing the same threat. The same letter was delivered to his Karachi residence as well.

A large number of Jang Group newspaper hawkers have been denied access to many localities and have been told not to carry and deliver Jang or The News. Similarly, many newspaper agents in Sindh and Punjab provinces have received telephone calls ordering them to stop selling ‘Ghaddar’ (traitor) newspapers, the letter said.

On April 30, the Geo office in Islamabad was surrounded by an unruly mob. They chanted slogans accusing the channel of being anti-state. Some of the people were seen carrying petrol bottles. The slogans rose as the channel is anti-state, anti-army, traitors and Wajibul Qatal (liable to be killed) while the police stood by and took no action.

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: The attempted assassination of one of Pakistan’s best-known journalists demands purposeful action at all levels of government, law, police and community – and revived Commonwealth and international action, said Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) in a statement released Thursday.

It said: “It’s time for all authority to say “Stop. We’re sick of this. And we won’t take it any more.”This weekend Geo TV anchor Hamid Mir was shot and seriously injured when his car was ambushed in Karachi. That alone deserves decisive action.

Hospital doctors said major surgery has made his condition stable. That, at least is one blessing. But Mir is just the latest in a wave of attacks against the profession – in Pakistan and far beyond.

Pakistani journalists have paraded in protest, but sincere as their passions are, it’s not enough. A special judicial commission is being assembled to bring the attackers to justice – and finally, it is hoped, to address the impunity associated with these repeated brutal, fear-building, society-wrecking crimes.

The impunity enjoyed by the criminals and killers is a Commonwealth-wide issue, varying only in degree of horror and disgrace. There should be attention to that in every country where this news is heard.

In the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists expressed its alarm at the pattern of brutality directed at those in the media. In Britain and Canada the Commonwealth Journalists Associations have echoed their horror. But civic voices are not enough. It’s time for hard meaningful action to stop this festering of civilization. It needs top down treatment.

The brutal, threatening and too often deadly treatment of journalists, compounded by intemperate religious rifts, is intensifying with devastating dangers to democracy and more specifically, to innocent citizens. It is time to stop it.

Many Commonwealth journalists – too many of our own in nations claiming to be democracies – are forced to do their vital work in savage circumstances. Disappearances, assassinations, crippling injuries, arbitrary arrests, anonymous thuggery and indefinite imprisonment occur too often without rebuff.

Subtler media silencers focus on “action” against journalists’ family members, or applied destitution. In any of its many forms this must be challenged with vigour by enlightened politicians in government, their civil servants, police systems and legal communities. All must be held accountable, be they perpetrators, promoters or excusers turning a blind eye.

Failure to address this grievous shortcoming of civilization demands exposure, censure and punishment of individual perpetrators and those empowering them in government. Continued perpetuation by venal elements at higher levels in Commonwealth governments should draw censure from the Commonwealth Secretariat and invite serious consequences. After fair examination, corrective action should range through severance of aid at corporate and/or national levels, suspension of Commonwealth membership or, in extremis, national expulsion, in the absence of verifiable remedy. The world should be ashamed in the face of this injustice and impunity.

The News

Raza Rumi is alive. It appears Hamid Mir will survive. Shan Dahar is dead.

For CPJ, most of this weekend was taken up learning about and responding to the assassination attempt on Geo TV’s most prominent anchor and commentator, Hamid Mir. CPJ quickly released a statement after the attack and fielded questions from international and Pakistani media almost nonstop. On Sunday, I met with about 30 Pakistani journalists and community leaders in New York to discuss the situation. The government has offered a reward of 10 million Pakistani rupees (about $102,000) for information leading to the apprehension of the people who tried to kill the very high-profile Mir.

This weekend’s response wasn’t unlike that on March 28, when gunmen sprayed the car of TV anchor and widely-respected analyst Raza Rumi, a member of the Express Group of media organizations. And we handled a flood of questions after the January 17 attack on an Express TV van in Karachi, in which three media workers were killed and a cameraman injured. It was the third attack in eight months on the Express Media Group. An attack on an Express bureau chief’s home was the fourth. The attack on Rumi was the fifth.

But in the middle of all the phone calling and emailing in the last few days, I received two email messages that took the focus off Mir and Raza Rumi, but are, in fact, all part of the same problem. I’ve conjoined both messages and edited them to make them a bit clearer:

Dear All,

Still we are waiting for justice regarding Shan Dahar’s case, please raise case of Shan along with Hamid Mir. No more investigation is done in this case, please take up our case to [the] government level. And make this statement possible for other journalists in Pakistan "Protecting Pakistan journalists"

We have submitted an application to our honorable Deputy Inspector General of Police Larkana Division for a re-investigation of Shan Dahar’s case one week before, but no output. We need your support & cooperation all the time. Could you please follow up our case with higher authorities, we don’t have approach nor any source. Your prompt action will be highly appreciated, awaiting suitable response.

Protecting Pakistan journalists
Riaz & Fouzia
Brother-in-law of Shan
Sister of Shan Dahar
Karachi, Pakistan

My CPJ colleague Elisabeth Witchel, our international expert on questions of impunity in the killing of journalists, and I met Riaz and Fouzia in Karachi in March, a week or so prior to a CPJ delegation meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Information and Law Minister Pervaiz Rasheed. The couple is adamant in pursuing justice for Shan Dahar, and we’ve promised them that we would raise their case whenever we could.

There has been little substantive movement in the investigation of the shooting death of Dahar, a local reporter for Abb Takk television. He died on January 1 this year, while filming near a pharmacy in Larkana. He had already produced one story on prescription drugs being illegally resold in the town, and was taking video of a package bearing a “not for resale” label on it shortly before he was shot, according to his family. Nasir Baig Chughtai, the director of news for Abb Takk, confirms that Dahar was on assignment at the time he was killed. He died in the hospital after waiting for hours for medical treatment, which never came, possibly because it was the New Year holiday.

CPJ’s data show that 96 percent of journalists murdered around the world are local journalists covering local stories. Dahar’s case is every bit as typical of that reality as the murder attempts on Rumi or Mir. And worse, in 90 percent of the cases of journalists killed, no one is brought to justice–the killings happen with impunity. Pakistan has the world’s ninth worst record for bringing the killers of journalists to justice, according to CPJ’s annual Impunity Index.

So, starting on January 1: An increasingly bad record for the Nawaz Sharif government in terms of journalists’ safety. Much has been made of the somewhat successful prosecution in March of some of the perpetrators, but none of the masterminds, in the January 2011 murder of Geo TV reporter Wali Khan Babar. But the credit for that cannot be given to the Sharif government. The trial was underway when the government came to power and former Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was instrumental in pressuring the federal and Sindh governments to bring the trial to a conclusion. What worked were the tactics of hearing the case in an Anti-Terrorist Court; changing of the trial venue to a less dangerous location; the use of special prosecutors; and a witness protection program for those with the courage to testify. This has emerged as a model for such politically sensitive trials, even though they may come at a cost: In early April Abdul Saboor, the brother of Abdul Maroof, the special public prosecutor in Wali Khan Babar murder case, was killed by unidentified men. No motive has been ascertained, police say.

When CPJ met with Sharif and Pervaiz Rasheed in March, we walked away with the feeling that the government realizes it has a problem when it comes to journalists’ security and is ready to take steps to deal with it. Amid the ongoing killings, attacks and unrelenting threats, their plans are coming closer to be realized.

In an April 14 piece in The Express Tribune, “Protecting Pakistan journalists” Mazhar Abbas, who won a CPJ International Press Freedom Award in 2007, outlines where things stand in terms of the government’s efforts to address the problem legislatively. Abbas, a former secretary-general of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, is far from a government apologist. He remains a strong advocate of journalists in the best trade-union tradition. But even he says, “There is a sense of realization within the government that the security of media in Pakistan is the responsibility of the state.”

Abbas explains that in recent days the government submitted 20 draft proposals for consideration by the National Assembly, which arose out of its consultations with most of the stakeholders to the problem. The proposals cover everything from insurance for journalists to safety training, who pays for protective gear for staff on dangerous assignments, and how quickly attacks on journalists must be investigated and brought to trial. A main forum for that discussion has been the Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety, a group that arose just over a year ago out of a U.N. conference in Islamabad, the International Conference on Safety & Security of Pakistani Journalists. Now, in 2014, a year later, Abbas says he hopes the legislation to protect journalists will be enacted by World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2015, a year from now–an optimistic but achievable deadline.

Meanwhile: After this weekend’s attack on Mir, the highly respected Zohra Yusuf of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said, Protecting Pakistan journalists “There should be an independent and judicial inquiry commission but that should not end like the one established to probe into killing of journalist Saleem Shahzad. This time the attempt went unsuccessful so there is a need to inquire about the details and people behind the attack before they plan another one.” Her idea was adopted by the government on Sunday.

CPJ has been highly skeptical of the value of special judicial inquiries and tribunals like those called for by the HRCP’s Yusuf. See, for example, “Justice for Saleem Shahzad? We’ve seen this before…” and “What should happen following the Raza Rumi attack.” We feel that special investigations, even when they include high-ranking judicial figures, circumvent the basic application of the laws of the country for the crime of murder: a police investigation, the appointment of a prosecutor, a trial, a conviction, and a sentencing. We feel that as the government waits for its proposed new legislation, it should use those tools it already has, the tools it used in the Babar case, to continue to prosecute the ongoing attacks on journalists. The threats and violence remain as prevalent as they ever have been, and show no signs of abating. Prosecutions of those who would kill journalists should start now. Protecting Pakistan journalists

Bob Dietz, coordinator of CPJ’s Asia Program, has reported across the continent for news outlets such as CNN and Asiaweek. He has led numerous CPJ missions, including ones to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka. Follow him on Twitter @cpjasia and Facebook @ CPJ Asia Desk.

Committee to Protect Journalists

The “Khaki Power” using the same e-mail address –khaki@safe-mail.net — has also threatened another senior columnist, whom he told to stay within the limits and warned: “Abbasi crossed a very real red line, and he would shortly see the consequences of that.”

The new e-mail message to Abbasi has also been forwarded to the FIA, whose officials say there are difficulties in tracking the sender, as the IP address is registered in the US.About the FIA’s capabilities, even the faceless and coward internet thug has no doubts as he conveyed to Ansar Abbasi: “Do you believe some babu sitting in FIA is going to “trace” anything for you? Welcome to try. You are smart enough to know that chasing ghosts is a futile exercise. Journalism is one thing, but mischief is another.”

In his threatening e-mail to the senior columnist, who does not want to be identified, he boasted: “If you were a betting man, you’d be wise to wager on the chance that you and yours are easier to find than any little ‘khaki power’ email address.

“It’s an easy job to run a trace on an IP address yet Dr. Cloueseu and his squad have so far come up with nothing but their family jewels in their hands. Ha! Why is that? Because we’re better, we are smarter, and when it comes to it, there are some limits that even FIA babus know better than to cross. Ask your chum.”

In his latest e-mail to Ansar Abbasi, the “Khaki Power” initially claimed that nobody had threatened him (Abbasi) but added in the same breath, “You are free to do your job (responsibly) just as others would be free to do their’s…. But make no mistake; there are some very real red lines. Do not cross them again.”

However, in his e-mail sent to the senior columnist, he advised the journalist “to not grow bigger than your boots”, and warned, “But remember there are some red lines, and crossing them will be utterly devastating. You can run around making a fool of yourself which you do so well on your own, it’s just rubbish. But Abbasi crossed a very real red line, and he would shortly see the consequences of that.”

Referring to the family members of the senior columnist, the threatening message added, “And what will happen if we do go near them? Nothing you can do about it. Hulla gulla in Wah really only served a temporary purpose it seems. You learned nothing.”

The columnist was also told, “And do you really want to kick sleeping dogs? During your time ‘commanding the press wing’ in the UK (I use the term commander with sarcasm), you were far from angel. Nobodies an angel.. yet you all walk around huffing and puffing as if there are no skeletons in your closet. You know what I mean, you bloody well do.”

“Be wise. Or opt to have wisdom thrashed into you. No red lines,” the senior columnist was threatened.This Internet bullying is a routine in Pakistan as there is no effective law to check cyber related offences in Pakistan. Such threats are taken seriously everywhere in the world but here its a free for all domain for everyone.

The News

Received from “Khaki Power” via the email address “khaki@safe-mail.net”, the message clearly said: “This is not a reminder but a serious suggestion”.The Interior Ministry as well as the FIA Cyber Wing have been formally informed of this threatening message.

The e-mail received at 11:42 am at Abbasi’s official address ansar.abbasi@thenews.com.pk reads: “This is not a reminder, it is a serious suggestion. Behave yourself and weigh the pros and cons of your words. Sometimes its hazardous to bite the hand that once fed it.

“Skeletons can fall out of anyone’s closets miraculously from the heavens and effectively ruin a ‘journalists’ career. And we all have skeletons. Good day.”

It is for the authorities to find out if this message from the unidentified “Khaki Power” has been authored by some frustrated soul unhappy with the work of Ansar Abbasi, by a pawn of the security agencies, by some disgruntled elements within the military establishment or by someone who wants to smear the name of the Pakistan Army.

However, the fact is that this e-mail has been received by Ansar Abbasi within a few days of his writings in The News and Jang where not only he was among the first ones in the media to have disagreed with the recent controversial statement of the Army Chief General Raheel Sharif but had also exposed General (retd) Musharraf and how he had hurt the institution of the Pakistan Army.

Ansar Abbasi had warned that General Raheel’s statement would lead to misunderstandings between the civilian and the military leadership.

He had also observed that the army chief’s statement would be exploited by those elements, including General Musharraf and his men, to fuel the fire and lead the country towards yet another martial law.The senior journalist also differed with the view that General Musharraf’s trial should be treated as the trial of the institution of the Pakistan Army.

Unfortunately, the social media is grossly misused in Pakistan but there is no law to check the crimes and wrongs done through this medium of communication. Although in this case the e-mail and other relevant details have been forwarded to the FIA Cyber Wing, the agency has hardly solved or caught anyone in such a case before.

The News

On September 17, 2012, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) blocked YouTube after the website refused to remove the trailer of the controversial, amateurish anti-Islam film, Innocence of Muslims by Sam Bacile (aka Nakoula Basseley Nakoula). The then PPP-led government declared the following Friday “Love The Prophet Day,” hoping to encourage peaceful protests. However, the violence that ensued was yet another disturbing reminder of the growing influence of the conservative right in Pakistani society. Although YouTube remains blocked in Pakistan, two days ago the TTP launched its official website through its media partner, Umar Media, which serves as a central information portal featuring videos, publications and statements made by its leaders. The website, until recently accessible in Pakistan, has been criticized for carrying propaganda that incites violence, especially against Pakistan’s security forces.

The war Pakistan seems to fighting is not just against the physical presence of the Taliban but also the entrenchment of their it Islamic ideologies. This ideological infiltration has become more pronounced courtesy of the mainstream media, allowing both militant groups as well as conservative right-wing parties to exploit mainstream media attention and gain access to a larger audience.

The Pakistani media has given extensive space to statements made by militant leaders and has readily covered terrorist incidents throughout the country. While this may fall within the ambit of the media’s responsibility, the editorializing and depiction of such incidents has only further emboldened the militants. By negotiating with militants, the government has transformed those who were previously seen as “enemies of the state” into “stakeholders,” granting them the appearance of valor, along with tremendous legitimacy and leverage.

Against the backdrop of negotiations, leaders of different militant groups and conservative right-wing individuals like Maulana Abdul Aziz (former chief cleric of the Lal Masjid, infamous for fleeing under a burqa during an operation in 2007) have regularly appeared on political talk shows voraciously defending their rigid views on Shariah implementation. TTP leaders frequently give statements to national papers from undisclosed locations. In an interview given to Newsweek Pakistan, TTP spokesperson, Shahidullah Shahid claimed that, “We consider Mullah Omar as the Amir-ul-Momineen. In Pakistan, Mullah Fazlullah is leading us and he has all the qualities to lead the Pakistani nation.” Given the state’s weak negotiating position, extensive Taliban coverage not only glorifies and emboldens the militants but also creates space for a militant narrative.

While the media can easily be criticized for engaging in a ratings race, the truth remains that it cannot function in an environment where it is under constant threat and intimidation. The government, desperately preoccupied with coaxing a peace deal out of the TTP, has failed to prioritize the security of its citizens and the media.

Threats have been issued to journalists and media owners across the board. Since last year, militants have attacked the liberal Express Media Group in five separate incidents. Bomb attacks and shooting incidents outside the Karachi office caused much alarm and prompted the media group to ask the state for protection. Earlier this year, the TTP killed three employees of the same media group, prompting the Express Tribune to shift its editorial policy and refrain from publishing criticisms of the group, whether in its reports or in the opinion pages. In addition to this, the group’s TV channel also allowed TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan to appear on one of its talk shows and promised adequate coverage in return for a halt against attacks. Despite that, an assassination attempt targeting renowned journalist and outspoken Taliban critic Raza Rumi took place in Lahore on March 28. Rumi, a noted columnist, is also a TV anchor for the Express News channel. The militants’ strategy is clear and two pronged: exploit the media to carve out a space for its own narrative while at the same time intimidate media groups and individuals who dissent from their view.

The lack of security granted by the government has prompted some media groups to provide private security to the owners, editors and heads of their news channels. However, the fact remains that Pakistani media and journalists face a serious threat and the government has so far failed to allay the media’s concerns or provide adequate security. Adding salt to the wounds, in the general atmosphere of competition and ratings, TV channels even now fail to unite; coverage of media attacks is fleeting and names are absent if the victim is a competitor. This trend is troublesome and the journalist community faces a dangerous challenge, one that will require non-traditional solutions to address.

In Afghanistan, following the unfortunate attack on Serena Hotel, which killed nine people including a well-known AFP journalist and his family, Afghan journalists declared a 15-day boycott of news reporting on the Taliban. It is unlikely that the same action would be taken in Pakistan, where many remain sympathetic to the terrorist agenda.

Given the violence and intimidation, the absence of a liberal counter-narrative, and the government’s policy of appeasement, the militant narrative has been able to gain increasing prominence in mainstream media. Where once a media appearance by a leader of a terrorist group that is responsible for the killing of 19,000 civilians was an anomaly, today it is common and tomorrow it will be normal.

Using the powerful tools at their disposal to reclaim the ability to shape national discourse will undoubtedly be an uphill task for the Pakistani media, made particularly difficult in the absence of security and support provided by the government. However, the Pakistani media must stand tall. And it must stand united.

If for nothing else, it must do so for its own survival.

Arsla Jawaid is a journalist and managing editor at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad. Follow her on Twitter @arslajawaid

The Diplomatic

According to a statement of the US embassy, Olson discussed issues of press freedom and dangers to journalists in Pakistan. In his remarks to the group, Ambassador Olson said, “We are alarmed and deplore the increased attacks on journalists in Pakistan. The most recent attack against one of Pakistan’s most well regarded journalists, who has been a staunch defender of fundamental democratic freedoms including freedom of the press here, should be a wake-up call to all who value democracy in this country. A free media is a key ingredient of democracy, and allows for a healthy national discussion on shaping a peaceful future for the country. Everyone must do more to defend these courageous voices against those who seek to silence them.”

This US embassy-sponsored Pakistan-US Journalists Exchange programme is designed to increase and deepen public understanding of the two countries and their relationship. The journalists are meeting with Pakistani government officials, media, and representatives from the private sector and non-government organisations in Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore.

The Nation