On Khan-Trump’s meeting and the media freedom
At a recent conference on media freedom held by Freedom House in London, Pakistani Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, faced embarrassment as he stood up to address a room full of largely empty chairs.
Most journalists had boycotted the discussion in protest of the clampdown on media freedom under the current government in Pakistan.
Nevertheless, among the limited number of attendees, was a Canadian social media activist, Ezra Levant of Rebel Media, a far-right political website, known for its anti-immigrant and Islamophobic leaning.
Levant, upset at Twitter for deleting one of his tweets at the request of the Pakistani government, called Qureshi a “censorious thug.” Despite the rude attack, Qureshi responded calmly to the allegations and questions directed his way. As that video clip went viral on social media, one couldn’t help wish that government officials would extend the same courtesy to Pakistani journalists, who have had to face threats, harassment, and in some cases, jail and physical assault for asking questions.
Just last month, Pakistan’s Minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry, slapped a journalist after a protracted argument between the two at a private wedding ceremony in Faisalabad. Though the incident was widely condemned, there were no consequences for the minister. However, it would appear this immunity from accountability and the power to silence journalists who ask uncomfortable questions, does not accompany high-level officials when they travel outside of Pakistan.
At his White House appearance on Monday, when Khan faced a question about his attacks on press freedom in Pakistan, the Prime Minister dismissed the criticism as a “joke.”
It would appear this immunity from accountability and the power to silence journalists who ask uncomfortable questions, does not accompany high-level officials when they travel outside of Pakistan.
Ayesha Ijaz Khan
As an outsider to politics, Donald Trump defied the odds and media predictions in his ascent to the White House. Ever since, he’s been discrediting major news outlets, like CNN, accusing them of peddling “fake news” and even calling their White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, a “rude, terrible person,” while supporting fringe newsgroups, like Breitbart, a far-right syndicated American news website. Previously, US Presidents did not side with any one media outlet over another so openly, nor did they express their displeasure with the media so brazenly and consistently.
Like Trump, Khan too has picked some favorites among media groups operating in Pakistan. But unlike Trump, Khan was once a bona fide media darling.
As a lonely opposition figure, when his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) had just one seat in the National Assembly to its name, he was a regular feature on political talk shows. As a handsome sportsman who had captained Pakistan to victory in the Cricket World Cup in 1992 and built a free cancer treatment hospital later, electronic media adored him and most television anchors avoided cross-questioning him on his often muddled political philosophies.
Little did they know that when the same Imran Khan became Prime Minister, he would be at the helm of a worrying trajectory of media curtailment.
Even guests on political talk shows for television are sometimes muted when expressing dissenting views, and channels are known to be taken off air if they broadcast successful rallies by opposition parties.
