“Apparently, we think freedom of press prevails. This new media, however, are showing what establishment wants them to show. Look at this recent killing of Osama bin Laden,” says Masoodullah Khan in an interview with Viewpoint. He was one of the four journalists sentenced to lashes in 1978. Masoodullah Khan was spared, however, on the intervention of the doctor in view of his disability.
He used to teach English at Lahore’s MAO College and Islamia College but later became a journalist. He worked with the PPI (Pakistan Press International), the Pakistan Times, The News, and the Dawn.
Excerpts of his interview:
Viewpoint: Tell us about this movement?
Masoodullah Khan: It was our movement. The politician, including the ones from the PPP, had nothing to do with it at all. They were silent, scared and sitting idle. The top leadership had escaped. Nobody was there to lead. We were bracketed with Pakistan Peoples Party(PPP). The regime thought we were working for the PPP. Obviously, in a way we were working for the PPP as it was demanding freedom of press. But also because the PPP was a progressive force. We as journalists were the first to take to streets. But I am sorry to say that the so-called politician ran away when we took to streets. Now a days, these politicians invoke struggle against Zia dictatorship while they are holding big offices. But fact of the matter is, they all ran away.
People like Mumtaz Bhutto were as silent as they were on the killing of Salman Taseer. They had many lame excuses to stay away. However, in reality they were not willing to take risks. Later, when our movement gained strength, they began to join.
Viewpoint: Is it true that a section of journalists, like top politicians, too stayed away?
Masoodullah Khan: Not all the sections of journalists supported the movement. There were some journalists who sided with the bosses. The rightists stayed away. The Mashriq or Nawaiwaqt staff in general used to avoid. However, some journalists even from these two newspapers came with us but they had to sacrifice a lot. However, the PPL workers union was with us [PPL stands for Progressive Papers Limited]. Nonetheless, it was not an isolated movement. It was country-wide movement. In general, people supported us.
Now even freedom of press has been hijacked. Now it is a ‘struggle’ newspaper owners launch every now and then. It depends upon owners whom they assign the role of flag-bearer of press freedom. Apparently, we think freedom of press prevails. This new media, however, are showing what establishment wants them to show. Look at this recent killing of Osama bin Laden. At first, hue and cry was raised. Now we are informed that everything was alright, nothing extra-ordinary happened in Abbottabad. Salman Taseer’s killing was a big incident but media did not treat it like that. Benazir Bhutto’s murder, Shabaz Bhatti’s assassination, all such incidents are hushed up by the ‘free’ media. But we also need to understand that the period of the 1960s was great. From London to Paris, everywhere movements were developing. It was a period of optimism and people were ready to sacrifice. Now pessimism rules supreme.
Viewpoint: Jamaat Islami these days champions the cause of press freedom. When you and three of your comrades were sentenced to lashes, the federal information minister was a member of the Jamaat Islami. Your comments.
Masoodullah Khan: The Jamaat has always been with the establishment. Under the Zia dictatorship, even May Day celebrations became impossible. We once wanted to observe May Day at Rawalpindi’s Liaqat Bagh. All of a sudden, Jamaat activists arrived on the scene and opened fire. Twenty-six people including women were injured. I received one shell as well. Minhaj Barna was also present. Such was the situation under the Zia dictatorship.
Viewpoint: Was there any protest internationally against lashing of four journalists in Pakistan?
Masoodullah Khan: There was no protest I guess. But yes there were some news in the international media.
Viewpoint: Left used to be a strong force among journalists. Now the Media Mujahideen dominate the media scene. Why left has been edged out? As a result, do you feel that your struggle for the ideals you believed, has proved fruitless?
Masoodullah Khan: These Media Mujahedeen will never invite any person to their talk show who might say things that contradict their agenda. These people who are now opinion makers, were not even born or nowhere on the scene at that time. Now one day they criticize the ISI and in the next programme, after two days, they are peddling ISI agenda. In fact, these people serve their own interests. They are backed by media bosses. We never sat together with media bosses. We used to fight them back for journalists’ rights.
Viewpoint: All four of you who were flogged never enjoyed the celebrity status attributed these days to certain columnists and anchorpersons. Do you feel bitter about it?
Masoodullah Khan: The point is: we don’t want to be celebrities. If someone wants us to be celebrity, we will refuse. Did anybody see Minhaj Barna receiving any award? Did you see Mazhar Ali Khan or Nisar Usmani receiving any benefit? But tell me: was Mazhar Ali Khan not a celebrity of his own kind? These days the concept of celebrity is different: actors and comedians are media celebrities now. The op-ed pages are filled with columns scribbled by bureaucrats, generals and Foreign Service officials. Celebrities are created and we don’t have any regrets.
Viewpoint: Your comments on the state of journalism in today’s Pakistan, in particular, after the mushroom growth of private TV channels.
Masoodullah Khan: Thanks to this new media, it makes us forget any incident no matter how big it is. This media make you forget any loss. If Salman Taseer had been killed in the 1970s, the media would have treated it differently. Now it has been treated as a crime, not as political or human rights issue. How can I be happy with this media where people lack conviction. Yes! There are some anchorpersons who occasionally raise some good point and you appreciate them. But some good poems by a certain poet do not mean all his work is great. An anchorperson one day appears honest, next day it seems s/he has some hidden agenda. Now journalists have become very clever, before they were not so clever. But they are not doing justice to their profession. They are not even united. I never hear journalists going on a strike these days.
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Adnan Farooq did his Masters in Political Science and has worked with daily The Nation, Lahore and daily Jang, Lahore. He has also volunteered for Milieudefensie, Amsterdam. Friends of the earth, Europe, on environmental issues. He has been working with ON FILE, an Amsterdam-based publication run by journalists from all around the world. He studied Conflict Resolution at University of Amsterdam and is living in Paris. He is the editor. |
