There needs to be a no-holds barred policy towards these extremists. It needs to pour out from every facet of our society. But when our judiciary and (many) political parties buckle under pressure from time to time, what message will that give to mere anchors or heads of channels?
The way sections of Pakistani media have covered the murder of Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer reflects, what Shehrbano Taseer calls, ‘affinity towards radicalization’.
Shehrbano (21) is the youngest child of Salmaan and Aamna Taseer. Aamna Taseer used to work as a teacher. In an interview with Viewpoint, Shehrbano terms Pakistani media ‘immature, irresponsible, and sensational’. She herself was issued a ‘warning’ by Sunni Tehrik when she was misquoted in Pakistani press.
After her schooling at the Lahore American School, Shehrbano graduated, in 2010, from Smith College in ‘Film Studies and Government’.
Last summer, she worked for a while at Pakistani embassy in Washington D.C. and is presently working as a reporter with Newsweek (Pakistani edition). She is also working for the Marshall Direct Fun charity. She has two sisters and three brothers. Shehryar, a graduate from Kings College London, is now heading Media Times Ltd, a media house owned by Taseers. Shahbaz studied film at Beacon House National University, Lahore. Sanam, a gifted artist--- owns an art gallery--- and is a law graduate from Lincolns Inn. Shaan, also a gifted artist, has attended Eton and London School of Economics (LSE). Sara is a business woman.
Though Shehrbano chose not to answer certain questions, on the role of APNS for instance, yet she spoke candidly about the role of Pakistani media in recent weeks. Excerpts:
Do you blame sections of Pakistan’s mainstream media for the tragedy that has cost you the life of your father?
I mostly blame the lunatic who pulled the trigger. There was also a major security lapse here - Qadri was declared unfit for VIP/VVIP duty. Were the district police officer or city police chief sleeping? Why was Qadri deputed to protect my father? What kind of screening is this? The media played a tremendously irresponsible role, but it's not just one anchor that caused Qadri to pull the trigger, it's a whole ideology. We must battle that.
Most of the newspapers and TV channels were reluctant to call him Shaheed (martyr) as many of his followers call him with reverence. Even state-owned PTV proved eclectic in this regard. After a telephonic threat, the PTV avoided to use the honorific of Shaheed. Do you think the media coverage, making Salman Taseer appear controversial, was out of fear or out of conviction?
There is no doubt that Salmaan Taseer is a Shaheed. As for the media coverage, I think it’s a little bit of both. The affinity towards radicalization is symptomatic of the multi-faceted problems Pakistan faces. Fear and conviction are both results of radicalization. Some get brainwashed and begin to believe – this is a huge problem. There is a large imbalance of power and money in Pakistan today. An estimated 80 million of our population is youth. They are uneducated and jobless with an almost zero chance of any upward social mobility. This desperation causes many to turn to an extremist form of Islam, and they embody some warped piety. Parents send their children to (the well-funded) madrassas because they offer food and an ‘education’ for free. They go at a young and impressionable age, and come out with all sorts of skewed perceptions. We need to offer these people a viable alternative, and have failed to do that. The rest are bullied. Many are scared and remain silent. It is a very real and understandable threat. This is how the extremists operate after all, they operate by instilling fear into people. People have to provide for their families, they’d rather live to see another day, than stand up for a controversial cause and have a bulls-eye target painted on them.
There needs to be a no-holds barred policy towards these extremists. It needs to pour out from every facet of our society. But when our judiciary and (many) political parties buckle under pressure from time to time, what message will that give to mere anchors or heads of channels?
Salman Taseer did not commit blasphemy. Still his assassin has been painted as some sort of modern-day Ilam Din. Also, many vital questions have not been asked in the media. How do you view the media coverage of this tragedy after January 4?
I am no advocate of repression of media, but I strongly believe that our media is immature, sensational and irresponsible. THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS. I don’t wish to take names, but it’s pretty clear what different TV channels and certain newspapers did. The PEMRA has grounds to issue monetary penalties to many of the anchors that were a part of this assassination-campaign. They misconstrued and misrepresented my father’s views. His stance was clear: the laws are being misused to target the poor and the voiceless. This was presented as an insult to the Prophet Muhammad. Our anchors - desperate for controversy to up their ratings - stood silent and let this happen. They were privy to this.
Our media have only recently become ‘free’ and ‘freedom’ is still in its infantile stages. I hope this tragedy causes anchors and channel heads to re-think giving air time to bigots and those spewing venom, and to report facts. I also feel that there needs to be stronger legislation that outlaws hate speech and propaganda, and this should be punishable under the penal code.
In contrast, his assassin has been glorified to an extent that the entire civil society has been scared into silence. Do you and your family also feel insecure?
I think that’s an unfair assessment. I’ve seen some wonderful demonstrations of unity and courage in many cities of Pakistan. Salmaan Taseer’s assassination has hit close to home, I don’t think people are willing to let themselves be scared into silence anymore. It’s a fight that I’m sure we can win, whether we start with two people or two thousand or twenty thousand.
As for the family, yes, there is a very real security threat. But we refuse to live in fear. “Great men are meteors, consuming themselves to light the world” – The same can be said of my father, a great leader and patriot. He lived largely and courageously, and we can only be proud.
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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. |
