All the king\u2019s men seem to be batting on a sticky wicket these days. Less than a week after Islamabad High Court had mentioned en passant the kitchen cabinet\u2019s misleading role in the controversial Peca saga, the former brother-in-arms Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has also advised the prime minister regarding his advisers. Following the path trodden by his party president, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, a month earlier, he too wanted Islamabad to reconsider the Chinese whispers those around him continue to indulge in; knitting huge castles in clouds here, there and everywhere. Mr Khan\u2019s high-handed defence of a draconian law has left him vulnerable to attacks from all opposition quarters but more disturbingly, the bulldozer appears unmoved by any criticism\u2013however scathing\u2013on its way to stifle dissent.
\nThe renewed vigour in the movement for his head, if not the freefall in popularity charts, has clearly made him nervous but making inroads to allies\u2019 chambers and a fresh string of attacks against some jumping cats still trump reconsidering the tyrannical round of peca-boo. Freedom of expression is something that should be taken for granted in a civilised democracy. But choosing to crack a whip against whosoever dares defy the mighty and the wealthy\u2019s wishes; handing out advertisements like a hard-earned stamp of approval goes entirely against the definition of championing free media. Remember, your tirade from the opposition benches, Mr Prime Minister? Perhaps, raising all of Pakistan\u2019s hopes sky-high from your campaign containers when you promised us press freedom might ring a bell? Unfortunately for everyone, the love affair has long ended and suffering from under-the-table vetting, baffling set of regulation instructions every other day with the regular onslaught of violence, Pakistani media has come a full circle.
\nIslamabad can choose to cherry-pick which parts of its manifesto need to be rigorously pursued and which, hidden away in some far-off closet but the rest of the country cannot afford to let it play hangman with its sovereignty. The chickens have all come home to roost, sir, and a compromised media would, undeniably, become the last nail in the facade of democratic narratives. The dark, dark days of censorship have been done with and if needed, we would be back to fighting the good battle with our blood and bone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
All the king\u2019s men seem to be batting on a sticky wicket these days. Less than a week after Islamabad High Court had mentioned en passant the kitchen cabinet\u2019s misleading role in the controversial Peca saga, the former brother-in-arms Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has also advised the prime minister regarding his advisers. Following the path trodden […]<\/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":[4730,4729],"class_list":{"0":"post-248252","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-editorial","7":"tag-advisers","8":"tag-some-advice"},"yoast_head":"\n