The Price of Journalism

This incident is deeply disturbing.
Ibne Insha comes to mind.....hope some more Najam`s and Insha`s are born in Pakistan.

Insha ji utho ab kooch karo, is shehar meiN ji ko lagaana kya
Vehshi ko sukooN say kya matlab, jogi ka nagar meiN thikaana kya
Phir hijr ki lambi raat yahaaN, sanjoog ki to bus aik ghaRi
Jo dil meiN hai lab per aanay do, sharmana kya ghabraana kya
Is dil kay dareeda daaman meiN, daikho to sahi, socho to sahi
Jis jholi meiN sau chaid huay, us jholi ka phailaana kya
Shab beeti chaand bhi doob chala, zanjeer paRi darvaazay per
KiyooN dair ga`ay ghar aa`ay ho, sajni say karo gay bahaana kya
Rehtay ho jo hum say dur bohat, majboor ho tum majboor bohat
Hum samjhoN ka samjhaana kya, hum behloN ka behlaana kya
Jab shehar kay log na rasta deiN, kiyooN bun meiN na ja bisraam keraiN
DeevaanoN ki si na baat keray, to ohr keray deevaana kya

Re: Faraz, #33

Faraz, I bet 90 percent of those living in Pakistan haven`t a clue as to what`s going on in the country. The other 10 percent are utterly helpless for fear of reprisal. An enlightened revolution is a far fetched fantasy for Pakistan. That Najam Sethi got his ass kicked is a stark reality of Pakistan: the Pakistani citizens have no say whatsoever in the working of their country. Pakistan`s alms givers are the only agents of change for that country. As for those Pakistanis with vested interest, well, they are the ones who have the piece of the pie and they will make sure nothing changes. Survive the country will alright, for those with vested interests and for the countless poor souls making subsistence living, but not for you and me

I do agree with you, though, that the government grossly miscalculated in its handling of Najam Sethi. It is my secret wish that this miscalculation would be the spark they would ignite the fire of change for the better.

so one thing is for sure that everyone is looking forward to change...

how and when that change will take place is still the main question n specially when the group with vested interests is strong n powerful...but thats what i said earlier that we as a nation have to be very careful that- that very change does not bring in some new faces with the same or even worse vested interests...

Another attack on Journalism. The Fascist pakistani government has banned a Sindhi monthly magazine.

Government has imposed ban on ``Subuh Theendo`` (Dawn Will Dawn) Monthly
Magazine and its circulation has been prohibited with immediate effect.


According to daily Kawish and Information Department spokesman Subuh Theendo
has been banned due to it contents and articles published in November 1998,
December 1998 and January 1999 issues.

List of the articles published in those 3 issues:

List of the articles published in those 3 issues:


1- Education, IT and 21st Century-----Ashraf Rind
2- Peace or War-----Faiz Ahmed Faiz
3- Dreams Never Die, China LEAD Conference-----Ayaz Latif Palijo
4- Social Justice-------Robert Green Ingersol / Prof. Ameer Ali Qadri
5- Falsehood (Punjabi Short Story)------Mensha Yad
6- Rasool Bux Palijo`s Interview-------Translated from Daily Osaf Islamabad
7- Doomsday in Hiroshima-----Trans: Nawai Insan Lahore, Irfan Siddiqui
8- Handicapped-----(Pashto Short Story)------Sayeda Haseena Gul
9- Lahore session on Provincial Autonomy-----Irshad Ahmed Haqani
10- Basti Ghareeb Abad (Punjabi Short Story)-----Faruq Nadeem
11- G. Plekhanov-----Pratab Lal
12- Socialism & Revolutionary Romanticism-----Karam Kaloi
13- Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement-----Sareer Sahto
14- Ishq is an Art------Zuber Rana
15- Deputy Commissioner`s Diary, Pagree------Qudrat-ul-Lah Shahab
16- PNRDP, Kalabagh Dam & NDP (Drainage Program)-----Maqsud Memon
17- Legends of Shah Latif-----Mamur Yousfani
18- Nadar Log------Abdullah Malik / Pervez
19- Free Legal Aid-----Ayaz Latif Palijo
20- Sustainable Development, Meetings & Workshops-----Abid Shah Oxfam Sindh
21- Education Workshop-----Shahab Abro

These acts of state terrorism are alarming and in complete violation of basic human rights.

Winter has brought hardships
The boots in uniform,
The heavy steps,
Audible from a distance.
Their march pauses at my door --

Intimidated hearts, impatient fools!
All the inhabitants tremble --

At my door is a persistant
Knock, knock
Knock, knock!

``I was telling you, Sir!``
And then the deaf shed their tears--
``Why do you write such poetry,
``That they put you in chains!
``They call you a secessionist,
``The liars tell tall tales about you`` --

At my door is a persistant
Knock, knock
Knock, knock!

--Sheikh Ayaz

re Ferozk & Godot

I am a little hesitant to pursue this discussion on this replies section, because I do not want to deflect attention from Mr. Sethi`s current ordeal. However, because we are talking about the best ways for concerned citizens like ourselves to exert some influence in such cases I think this discussion is worth while.

``Contary to your sense of a bright outlook for Pakistan``

I would not categorize my outlook as bright. While you seem to think that Pakistan can only be saved from the outside, I think IF Pakistan can be saved it has to come from within.

I also agree with you guys that a spontaneous revolution, or any meaningful grassroots action, in Pakistan is highly unlikely. But it is the only hope. Tieing aid to human rights is just not practical. Western governments and agencies have their own agendas (as they should) and cannot impact policy in Pakistan in the long run nor should they. For example, should all aid be stopped until Mr. Sethi is released? What qualifies as a gross violation and what qualifies as only a `regrettable` action by the Pakistani government. Not to mention, as Godot pointed out, the public`s lack of education makes them very easy to manipulate. Foreign pressure on governments has always been very effectively used by the right and the mullahs to delude the public. By bringing western policemen to enforce human rights, we lose a lot of legitimacy with the general public.

Pakistanis living in the U.S. and elsewhere can only do so much with phonecalls and faxes to senators. The real need is for more leaders on the ground. What we need most are not more Ferozks, Godots and Farazs ..but more Najam Sethis.

Faraz

Re: Farz #33

Contary to your sense of a bright outlook for Pakistan, I do not share your argument. Pakistanis have not saved themselves for over fifty years and there is no indication that they will now.

The question I was attempting to broach with the idea of linking foreign development aid in Pakistan with its human rights improvement was to impose a regime of accountability on the government of Pakistan. Foreign aid is a political leverage which can, and should, be used to force Pakistani government to pay attention to these matters. If this is what it takes to make the corrupt leaders of Pakistan be accountable, then be it so!

The Pakistani government has to be accountable to someone and if that entity is western nations and they have the means to force that accountability on Pakistani leadership, they should!

Re: Faraz, #39

You make a good argument that the responsibility for change in Pakistan lies with those living in Pakistan, and not arm-chair analysts like us, or the Western donors. Pakistan needs more Najam Sethis. Very true. However, we saw what happened to him. Feroz is correct. Nothing that has happened in Pakistan in the last 52 years indicates that something better will happen in the next 52 years. It is a hopeless country and it appears that the leadership there is making sure it remains that way for a long time to come. Good for India.

Just had this forwarded to me by a friend:

___________________

FYI............

TFT is back on the web and can be accessed at

http://www.dawn-usa.com/tft/

The original website was hacked at the behest of the government.

Ejaz

News Editor,

The Friday Times

_____________________

Re: Godot

You say, ``Good for India``.

I don`t think so. No country wish to have a country in perpetual chaos as its neighbor.

Re: maliani, #37

Hi - could you confirm where you heard the news about the banning of the Sindhi paper? I`ve heard that Dawn sources were unable to confirm the news. There is no mention of it in today`s papers. I received an almost identical posting about the banning (complete with index of articles) by email yesterday from a separate email list. Yet the similarity of the two postings suggests they came from the same source and one does not necessarily confirm the other.

Re: Chowk editors` link to Sethi`s speech at beginning of Sarwar`s article

Please update the link to reflect the new TFT website (although i`m not sure if the new pages have put up the text yet?). Your link still leads to the old, now defunct site. Thanks.

Re: Kant Patel, #42

Kant, it is difficult to deny that India and Pakistan are enemies. People like you and me, among other Chowk wahlas, wish to see relations between India and Pakistan not any different than the relations between the US and Canada. But, given the leadership of both countries, that is only a fantasy.

Given the reality, isn`t it better to see your enemy chaotic and hence weak, and hope that it remains that way? Me think that since Nawaz Sharif is making sure that Pakistan remains chaotic and bankrupt (both financially and morally), and hence weak, he`s the one who is working for RAW! He should be the one put on trial for treason, not Najam Sethi.

Re: subuhi Reply #43

The news came to me directly from the Editor of the magazine. I will still confirm.

Re: Farz # 39

First of all, I agree with you that the likes of myself will not alter the reality in Pakistan. My most basic intention is to not change the reality in Pakistan over night for the better, but to suggest that Pakistan needs help. I am not suggesting western policemen in Pakistan enforcing human rights. Even if I did that, the western governments would be loathe to risk being embroiled in a Pakistani mess.

This is the bare bones of my idea. Pakistani government and its political leadership has to be made accountable to the people. It has to respect and encourage basic human rights for the people of Pakistan such as a decent living condition, a sense of personal security and a freedom from hunger and poverty and access to a standard eduation. It must be stressed upon the mind-sets of the Pakistani political leadership that it`s purpose is to serve and protect the people of Pakistan and not to subjugate them to its power.

Given the state of Pakistan and its high ill-literacy rates, the people of Pakistan can not do this. Hence, we have to force a standard of accountibility on the government of Pakistan. The use of foreign aid could achieve this goal, because it is a force-multiplier; that is it can leverage a political situation to a certain advantage. Pakistan is a bankrupt nation which needs foreign monies to pay the interests on its debts. Remember, the sanctions against Pakistan, for its nuclear tests, will be re-imposed in October of this year after a year`s waiver and the question is, what has Pakistan done to deserve another waiver! It has practiced policies of denying press freedoms, it has continued with economic mis-mangement and its sense of security has not been attained for which it tested nuclear weapons.

Pakistan`s security is not threatened from outside, but from its own lack of crediable policies internally. The road Pakistan is determined to journey on will end in a disaster. The reality is that given its past performances, the re-imposition of sanctions will not be waived again and Pakistan will be in the same economic melt down that it was after the sanctions were imposed. Then Pakistan begged and cried and promised its western donors that it be given monies to help its economy. Those sanctions were lifted, conditionally on Pakistan agreeing to a nuclear non-proliferation regime, and Pakistan seems to working towards that end.

Thus, the question is, why can not the economic aid to Pakistan be made conditional on its human rights and democratic record. Pakistan is the begger in this situation and it can not choose which policies it wants to follow, because it is mortaged to the hilt to western nations. Pakistan`s affairs have to managed by western nations as a trusteeship of a bankrupt corporation and Pakistan has to be administed as a business enterprise. Pakistan needs western money to survive and in the past, the example of sanctions has shown a weak point in Pakistani government`s ability to resist political demands when the issue has been monetary assistence. Consequently, this weakness should be leveraged for maximum benefit of Pakistan in a general sense.

Hence, pressure must be leveraged against Pakistani governments to amend their ways and if this course of action, western aid for human rights, works it could be tried, because there is no down side to it!

re: Godot

Extremely narrow minded and myopic view vis-a-vis India, reflected even in your politicians you despise.

It is in India`s interest to see an independant, self suffiecient, and prosperous Pakistan which will mind its own business while keeping itself busy constructively. The same applies to Pakistan`s interests in India. India`s ideology is completely different from Pakistans and it needs to remain that way. The biggest fear a lot of Indians have is, if there is `social unrest` in Pakistan, they will involve India (just as you are), afterall, it is always the kafir pigs fault !!!!!! You blame your politicians of creating `Indian scapegoats`, in the process distracting the general public from other issues, yet you yourself indulge in it.

Just look at the arms situation. In Pakistan automatic weapons are commonplace (most manufactured in Dera). These weapons have been pouring into India. Forget all the `holy warriors` and other irregulars. I am not blaming `Pakistan` for any of this, yet the link is there. If Pakistan is in a state of confusion, all these activities will only increase. It is besides the point whether Pakistan `officially` approves or disapproves of it.
Just read all the effects of having a porous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, while Afghanistan was going through its civil war. Didn`t lawlessness, armed conflict, Islamic radicalism infiltrate into Pakistan.

You are making the same mistake your leaders are vis-a-vis your attitude to India.

Re: Rana Ransher # 47

Rana, I agree it is in India`s interest to see a stable Pakistan, but the problem is that Pakistan is so focused on India-centric issues and how to keep up with India that it is ignoring its own problems. India is a Pakistani problem, because unfortunately our politicans play the India card to mask and generally ignore Pakistani domestic problems. India is a scapegoat of Pakistani politics which allows our so called political leaders to avoid making hard choices and admitting their own failures by blaming India and anti-Pakistan-Islamic western conspiracies for the misery that haunts Pakistan. India, as a nation and an idea, dominates Pakistani thinking and we, Pakistanis, are fixiated on Indian actions and all our thoughts, actions, intentions and accomplishments have been nothing more than a reflection of what India does!

I agree with you completely on this matter. Whatever happens in Pakistan will have a direct impact on India. The present nightmare in Pakistan is not in Indian interests, but the question is how can India help Pakistan become more economically and politically stable? I can not speak for Indians or for India, but I would bet that there is willingness in India to tolerate a status quo with Pakistan and that implies a desire to settle the question of Kashmir by translating the Line of Control into an international boundary. An even harder task towards the political and economical stablization of Pakistan is how to convince its political leadership that it should divorce its India specific myopia and instead it should concentrate on its own problems.

That is the challenge India needs to address if it wants Pakistan to be stable and the odds are against it, because the Pakistani leadership, for self-expedident reasons, will resist this logical approach to solving Pakistan`s problems.

Re: RanaRansher, #47

Can`t disagree. However, I hold to my belief that it is better to keep your enemy confused, chaotic and weak. A prosperous Pakistan is far more dangerous to India than a weak Pakistan: more money, more influence on the world stage, more confident, more spending on the army and new advanced weapons, etc. And that Kashmir issue! A prosperous Pakistan would not have tolerated, what is it, 200,000 Indian troops in Kashmir busy raping, looting and pillaging.

What it is, my friend (if I dare to call you that knowing that we don`t see eye-to-eye), that both Pakistani and Indian leaders do not care about the abject poverty their respective countries are mired in. They use each other as tools to advance their own domestic political agendas, and keep their countries hostage to nationalistic motherland this and fatherland that. Unless the leaders in both countries have vision and, yes, balls, Pakistan and India will remain enemies.

I don`t know why you keep talking about India`s ideology and Pakistan`s ideology. Who cares! From your other responses I`ve read, it appears that you despise Pakistan more than I despise Pakistan`s leaders. That is saying quite a lot, my friend (oops!).