18th June 2003
Journalists of Pakistan
by Weekly Independant -- Source: www.InformationTimes.com Principles Are Supreme
Issue 51, Vol. 2 - June 12-18, 2003
When we launched Weekly Independent on August 3, 2001, we vowed to make the journal a guardian of the people's rights. This meant defending the fledgling democracy in Pakistan from onslaughts of the mighty military establishment, always waiting in the wings to derail it, and at the same time exposing corruption and dishonesty on the part of the high and mighty.
The independent policy of the Weekly was bound to invite the establishment's wrath which soon made it clear that the publication could not get its due quota of the government advertisement unless it stopped carrying news reports and comments that embarrassed the military regime. But refusing to yield on principles, the paper continued to criticise the undue involvement of the [Pakistan] Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI] in the national politics. The establishment's pressure on the Weekly subsequently assumed the form of intimidatory tactics.
In March this year, the regime redoubled its moves to harass the editorial staff as well as the chief executive of the paper. The Home secretary, Punjab, a retired brigadier and former chief of Punjab ISI, called the Chief Executive and told him to roll-back operations of the paper immediately if he wanted to stay in business and stay safe. Similar threats were conveyed to the editorial staff. The matter was brought to the notice of the national and international journalist organisations. The strong protests by the journalist community put the administration on the defensive and direct intimidation was suspended for the time being. However, more devious ways to throttle the paper were adopted, and the private sector companies were compelled to stop putting ads in the Weekly Independent.
The paper, however, refused to bargain on its independent policy position and continued to oppose anti-democracy measures introduced by the first commando 'President' of Pakistan. The paper criticised General Musharraf for usurping powers of the elected Parliament, pleading that he should not simultaneously hold the civilian and military slots of the President and the Army Chief. Through its editorials, the paper pleaded for national reconciliation by allowing the exiled political leadership to return to the country in safety and without any fear of further intimidation. As the Weekly refused to change its independent editorial policy by toeing the establishment's line, the regime decided to launch a fresh assault against the editorial staff and the investors.
Last month, an Islamabad-based news agency, financed by the federal government and protected by General Musharraf's closest aide, ran a report claiming that the Jamali-led Musharraf government was investigating the Editor of Weekly Independent for indulging in anti-Musharraf, anti-Army and anti-Pakistan 'propaganda' with the financial assistance given by exiled leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. The move, however, again failed to deter the paper from pursuing independent journalism. Another malicious report was subsequently planted in an Urdu newspaper early this month, saying that the government agencies had launched an inquiry against the owner of the publication for allegedly receiving millions of rupees from Saudi Arabia, where Sharif is living in exile, to malign General Musharraf and the Pakistan Army.
As all such devious moves failed to weaken the resolve of the paper to continue its struggle for people's rights and a genuine democratic polity, a fresh attempt is now afoot to suppress the independent voice. A libel notice served on the paper on behalf of General Musharraf's right-hand-man Tariq Aziz Warraich, Secretary, National Security Council, demands payment of Rs 50,000,000 and an apology for two reports we carried in the recent past.
We would like to inform our readers that Weekly Independent is under tremendous government pressure right now, though its resolve to stick to an independent policy remains unshaken. In a country where Army dominates the polity, and officials of the security agencies telephone editors and financiers to tell them what their publications should or should not contain, publishing a journal with an independent and honest approach is no easy job. Anyone dedicated to the ideals of our founding fathers who wanted to see Pakistan as a modern democratic state, with the Army being subservient to the elected Parliament, would endorse the editorial policy of the magazine. We have tried our best to maintain independence of the Weekly, and would continue to withstand the government pressure as long as we are allowed to pursue an independent policy.
