Pakistan’s media
- Introduction
Pakistan’s media is one of the most dynamic ones in the South Asian region. The country has a broad and diverse media representation, especially in recent years. The television and radio houses, print media, and other digital platforms have revolutionized the political, social, and economic environment in the country. The country has over 300 privately owned newspaper companies, with a combined sale of over 6 million copies. A study done by FBS found that these newspaper companies had sold over 6 million copies in 2009 alone. The number of television viewers has also been increasing rapidly in the country, which is another boost for the media. The country has not achieved total democracy, which puts a lot of pressure on the liberal press within its borders. The government has been using indirect methods to shut down and silence popular media companies. Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) uses the excuse of “unfriendly media to suspend licenses, which indirectly limits the actions of various television, radio and print companies. Reporters without borders ranked the country the second last country in the press freedom index. Thus, while Pakistani media has made numerous steps towards the freedom and liberty of the press, it still lags many steps away from freedom. (“Redlining the News in Pakistan”) This means that the country’s medial freedom is highly limited, which calls for significant reforms. As such, while the country continues to struggle and liberate the country, bad politics have been keeping it down for years.
- Contextualizing the media (historical, socio-cultural and economic factors).
Pakistan’s media has developed over the years, with the help of various social, political and economic contexts in the country. Media regulation started in 1962 when President Ayub Khan introduced the Press and Public Ordinance. This law gave the government the authority to shut down the newspaper companies, confiscate their papers and arrest any journalist who acted against its specifications. The government could now control and nationalize the more substantial part of the media and forced the remaining companies to depend on governmental aid (“Pakistan Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers – Television, Circulation, Stations, Papers, Number, Print, Freedom”). This was a strategic plan for the government to control the local politics and public opinion in the country. The radio and TV platforms were established in 1964. They had to fall under the same rules too. General Zai-Ul-Hag increased the media oppression in is reign as well. He added new rules to the PPO, which stated that the government would arrest and prosecute any publisher who published information that was against the administration’s liking. The arrest was regardless of the factual status of the information, or its contribution to the national interest. The country experienced direct and dictatorial censorship, which was worse because of the Islamist ideologies of the current reign. It was only after Haq’s death that the media freedoms started emerging slowly. As such, the oppressive regimes in Pakistan had heavily limited the country’s media freedoms.
General Pervez Musharraf’s reign could be credited as the genesis of media freedoms in the country. He reduced the pressure on the media and deregulated most of the press operations, which created a chance for the introduction of different media platforms. The electronic media was one of the major introductions in 2002 (Shah Meer Baloch). The government also started issuing private licenses to radio and television stations. The media began gaining political clout, which has had high impacts on the country’s political, social, and economic progress. While the general’s actions may seem like acts of goodwill, they were a part of a military strategy. The Pakistani a military had been facing a brutal force of the Indian government. The Kargil war, in particular, forced the general into a realization that the country needed reforms on the media laws. The Pakistani military was loosing because it had inferior electronic communication than its enemies. In this regard, the viable solution was to deregulate the media and allow private ownership, which would, in turn, develop the country’s communications. The Pakistani military thought it could use the press to its power against the Indian media. The free rights to electronic media would increase national interest, which the government thought would work in its favour. Thus, the government liberalized the media to better its communication capacity.
Unlike the expected results, the media turned out to be a powerful tool in the nation. The government’s expectations of controlling the media started backfiring in 2007. At this time, the Lawyer’s Movement was struggling to reinstate the chief justice. The media played a vital role in covering the news about the events, which was like the beginning of media influence in the country. The media coverage intensified and led reduced the Presidents support from the civil society and the military. As such, he had to call for elections to ease the tension in the country. Having learned from his predecessor, the new president, Asif Ali Zardari, had to respect the interests of the people. The civil society had grown stronger than expected, and the current authority had to bend to these forces. The media played a pivot role in this development as it supported and broadcasted most of the civil societies’ actions, and represented socio-political reforms. Now the Pakistani media has a vital role in balancing the powers of the government and its people. It lays vital roles in the social and political environment. In this regard, the increased power of the press was unpredicted.
Socio-cultural factors relating to the media
The media has been in the frontline against corruption. One of the most popular cases in the country was the Malik Riaz’s case, in which the chief justice’s son was involved in a corruption scandal. The media has a significant influence on the case, forcing the accountability of the court. There are many other cases that the media has been playing an active role in eliminating corruption in the country. The media has been exposing and pressing various social, cultural, and political reforms in the country, which has gained it the support from the members of the public. One undeniable role of the media in Pakistan is the spread of democratic ideas and fighting corruption. Corruption and tyranny had been rooted deeply in the government.
- Technological development and media landscape, with a
New media companies in the country are also adopting modern technology to advance their share of listeners and viewers. The Pakistani journalists created an online resource, PakPolWiki in 2012 with the help of NearMedia Corporation. The online platforms enable people with access to the internet to receive updated news about the country. It has played a vital role in covering the elections, and the Truth Tracker tool helps in fact-checking. The program has been effective for some years, creating critical stories and investigating national matters. Thus, the country’s media technology is still growing.
While the world is going digital, especially in major forms of communication, Pakistan lags behind in adopting the technology. Poverty and Illiteracy are the two major social forces that have limited the development of media in the country (Shah Meer Baloch). Most of the people that live in rural areas have no access to the internet or have never used it. They mainly depend on the information from state-owned radio stations, which only chant propaganda. Still, there is some progress in urban areas. WhatsApp, for example, has allowed communication between individuals, especially in urban areas. However, the internet connection is still a disappointing issue. Journalists with cancelled licenses have also found consolation in digital platforms like YouTube. Some of them set up YouTube accounts, where they can continue informing and influencing people. These type of journalists also gain reinforcement by concerned citizens, who support most of their projects in social media. Most of them use Twitter and Facebook to solicit support around the country. As such, Pakistani digital media is still behind but growing.
Media and Social World
Still, the country is still a dangerous place for most journalists. In most cases, the government and the media are on opposite sides, considering the big fight against corruption and dictatorial regimes. The corrupt officials’ ways of retaliating are by making it severely unsafe for the journalists and harassing them (Shah Meer Baloch). Reporters Without Borders have ranked Pakistan among the deadliest countries for a reporter or a journalist. However, world organizations like the EU have been very supportive of the media in the country.
Cultural and social differences also affect the media in Pakistan. The television and radio stations are divided into two: the English speaking and local language stations. Most of the English stations are popular in urban areas, where a class of elite people live. The local language stations are popular in rural areas (Rehmat). As such, these differences may cause different standards of political views in the country. Secondly, a few large corporations despite the privatization step, control the media houses. Most of these corporations have political affiliations with the government, opposition, or other organizations. As such, it becomes very hard for them to air or spread non-partisan new to the people. The media often coin the messages to fit the political agendas of these controlling forces. Thus, the government is still in control of the media.
Conclusion
Thus, while Pakistani media has made numerous steps towards the freedom and liberty of the press, it still lags many steps away from freedom. General Pervez Musharraf’s reign could be credited as the genesis of media freedoms in the country. He strengthened the press by reduced the pressure on the media and deregulated most of the press operations. The Pakistani media has been in the frontline against corruption and other social injustices. However, the country has been making it harder for journalists. It is one of the most dangerous places for most journalists. Cultural and social differences also affect the media in Pakistan. In this regard, there is a lot that the international community, Pakistan government and other stakeholders can do to improve the situation. The media is a democratic platform, which pushes political, social and economic reforms.