Your Search Results

Beleaguered Jamaat-i-Islami of Pakistan

Comments Off

UPDATED July 27, 2010, by K.N. Pandita

On April 19 last, a 14-year old suicide bomber blew himself up at a protest rally in Peshawar. Twenty-five persons were killed and over fifty injured. The targets were local Jamaat-i-Islami leaders. Pakistani officials tried to play it down and Pakistani media just understated the background of the event. Circumventing the truth about the targets, it was concocted that the attack was motivated by sectarianism because one among the dead on the spot was a DSP named Gulfat Hussain, a Shi’ite officer in Pakistan police force.

The fallacious story had no takers as events unfolded themselves. The vice Amir of local Jamaat-i-Islami namely Hajji Dost Muhammad was among the dead. Later JI accused Americans for disrupting peace and a Jamaati leader Hafiz Heshmat by name, accused the security firm Blackwater (Xe Sources LLC) of the US of destabilizing Pakistan.  Continue Reading…

Tampering with the Fourth Estate

Comments Off

By K.N. Pandita

Nehru was the Prime Minister. His Information Minister brought to him a recommendation to impose a ban of a certain errant national newspaper. Nehru said,” I prefer my government to be criticized rather than gag the mouth of freedom of expression.”

The reason why BBC and some leading British media organs have worldwide credibility as ace media outlets is the largest amount of freedom of expression they enjoy.

Only a government deficient of self-confidence is apprehensive of media criticism, and thereby, takes media an enemy of the state. albeit very erroneously.  Continue Reading…