Media freedom under pressure in Pakistan as elections loom
What is described as a creeping expansion of the activities of the security agencies, which is being manifested in an unannounced gagging of the media and a curb on freedom of expression, has raised questions about the fairness of the coming general elections.
The National Assembly will complete its five-year term by the end of May 2018 and the elections are expected to be held two months later, if things remain on course. Banners are up and the political parties are gearing up for polls that will lead to a second consecutive transfer of power from one elected government to another. Some of the latest developments, however, cast a shadow over this historic transition.
Khawaja Mohammed Asif, the foreign minister, has been unseated and barred for life from holding public office. One of the most senior members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, he was accused of hiding his employment and assets abroad. He is the latest prominent party member to bite the dust, after his leader, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, was removed from the office on a charge of perjury. Sharif is now standing trial on corruption charges and faces imprisonment if convicted.
With the general elections just a few months away the court action against the foreign minister has dealt huge blow to the PML-N’s efforts to remain in power. Sharif and his supporters call it “pre-poll rigging”. A high court ruling weeks ago ordered the electronic media not to report the former prime minister and his daughter’s remarks criticizing the judiciary.
A more serious issue is this unannounced censorship on the media. The restrictions have certainly not been imposed by the federal government or any regulatory body. Still, media organizations are compelled to follow the order from the security agencies. Opinion pieces violating these “guidelines” have reportedly been withdrawn by the management of some leading newspapers for fear of being penalized.
TV channels are even more vulnerable to the clampdown. Over the past few weeks, one channel reportedly was removed from the lineup by cable operators or shuffled out of the main selection of news channels as “punishment” for being too “outspoken on certain sensitive issues.” Such punitive actions, in violation of the directives of the electronic-media regulator, is more effective in the cantonment areas, where certain “blacklisted” newspapers are not allowed to be distributed. No one can dare challenge these unlawful and arbitrary actions.
The space available for dissent and pointing out hard truths is growing ever narrower. A recently published report by the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan highlighted the issue of enforced disappearances. The report cited many cases of political and rights activists allegedly taken away by security agencies in different parts of the country instead of being brought before a court of law.
Any move to crack down on the media on the eve of a general election raises concerns about the fairness of the polls.
Zahid Hussain
The issue is not just about media gagging or enforced disappearances, it is also about the growing perception of political manipulation by “invisible forces,” a euphemism for the intelligence agencies. The recent political re-engineering in Balochistan and allegations that the elections for Senate chairman were “managed” have reinforced the allegations about pre-poll manipulation.
Not surprisingly, the latest desertion from the ranks of PML-N lawmakers, too, is being attributed to a perceived wider plan to restrict the power base of the ruling party in its stronghold of Punjab before the elections. However exaggerated the suspicion may sound, it is not unfounded given our shadowy political history in which such manipulation is not without precedent.
With the political crisis getting deeper, there is a growing feeling of coerciveness accompanied by a weakening of the authority of state institutions, notwithstanding the growing assertiveness of the top judiciary. In fact, the current judicial overreach encroaching on the domain of the executive has also allowed the deep state to strengthen its stranglehold.
Many believe that the unannounced censorship of the media might be a part of a wider plan. Media organizations reportedly receive “advice” on what should or should not be broadcast or printed — all in the name of national security. In fact, the pressure can be so intense that often, even if there is no such “advice,” the owners and editors of certain media businesses indulge in self-censorship in an attempt to remain on the right side of the powers that be.
Any move to crack down on the media on the eve of a general election raises concerns about the fairness of the polls. There is little possibility that the democratic political process will be completely derailed. However, the growing perception of the deep state increasingly getting involved in alleged political manipulation raises concerns that we might be heading towards a “managed” or “guided” political dispensation.
• Zahid Hussain is an award-winning journalist and author. He is a former scholar at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington DC, and a visiting fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, and at the Stimson Center in Washington DC. Twitter: @hidhussain
