The tables have once again turned. Predicting which path political hurricanes turn next is exceptionally hard in Pakistan. Just when retired judge Saqib Nisar was fast losing battle to a dam of allegations ready to burst open (hello, irony), out jumped a new Pandora\u2019s box. Try as she might, PML(N) Vice President would find little success at channelling the spotlight away from her viral audio clip. Self-admission is quite an effective diffusing strategy but not when the stakes are so high. And if her party leadership actually believed media would be so gullible as to be lured into a dark alley with candy of , they are living in a Shangri-La of their dreams. The footage doing rounds is an eye-opening reminder of the greatest threats that media\u2019s independence faces in the 21st century: carrot-and-stick of advertisement. That Ms Nawaz felt no shame in admitting twisting arms of those news channels that dared defy her wishes is all that\u2019s phenomenally wrong with media freedom. Wasn\u2019t it her father who had recently termed the ongoing tenure \u201cthe blackest era for\u2026human rights?\u201d No matter what had gone behind the alleged muzzling of his video conference, organisers of the Asma Jahangir Conference were super-quick to throw government under the bus. It seemed as if a \u201chigh-handed state was acting out of spite against a true champion of freedom of champion. But if everything felt like sunshine, lollipop, and roses during his government, why did his own house reek of authoritarian ideals?
\nIt is quite unbecoming of a democratic setup to wrap its fingers around the throats of those who ask uncomfortable questions. Taking advertisements away from TV channels is akin to leaving them high and dry. Was the Nawaz government then a de facto extension of the Bush doctrine\u2013a firm believer in \u201cif you are not with us, you are against us?\u201d The elephant in the room refuses to step out. May it be some soft in-the-head media brethren or the overpassionate activists, whoever is not sitting behind the wheels is automatically designated a damsel in distress. Why our sympathies change ground with the flick of a designation speaks more about the cultural candour than such personalities turning leaf overnight. Maryam may not realise it now, but her latest Gordian knot would not go away that easily. First and foremost comes the question of her credibility. She has repeatedly denied her involvement in the party\u2019s media cell. Which version of her just as fiery stance should be believed by the PML(N)\u2019s voters? More infuriating must be the bad press she seems to have (for the umpteenth time) brought upon her father\u2019s days in Islamabad. Was Senior Sharif ruling a kingdom where his children could sit in whichever capacity they liked and play boss? Is this the hallmark of an influential democracy he is on a crusade to protect? For the sake of all things holy, we pray not! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The tables have once again turned. Predicting which path political hurricanes turn next is exceptionally hard in Pakistan. Just when retired judge Saqib Nisar was fast losing battle to a dam of allegations ready to burst open (hello, irony), out jumped a new Pandora\u2019s box. Try as she might, PML(N) Vice President would find little […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[937,938],"class_list":{"0":"post-229648","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-editorial","7":"tag-elephant","8":"tag-room"},"yoast_head":"\n