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Showing posts with label Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. Show all posts

Friday, 27 November 2009

Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman: Do some soul searching please!

As to the media group [Jang Group / Geo TV] in question, they too need to do some soul searching to establish whether their practices of recent days are in conformity with best practice in journalism. Personalised vitriol may vent anger, but does not meet the test of impartiality, accuracy and restraint in recognition of the respect due to the head of state and high government functionaries. After all, the exchange should not degenerate to the level of a street brawl. None of the parties would come out of such a fracas smelling like roses.

Editorial in Daily Times, 27 Nov 2009

President Asif Ali Zardari delivered a hard-hitting speech at the PPP’s foundation day rally in Karachi, albeit from the presidency in Islamabad. Breaking his silence over what he termed were conspiracies being hatched to weaken his presidency and the PPP government, he vowed to fight all the “political actors” out to destabilise the democratic system. One media group in particular, which has for some time now has been waging what some have described as a concerted, motivated, vitriolic (at times bordering on the indecent) campaign against the incumbent in the presidency and the government led by the party of which he is the co-chairperson, came in for some harsh stick in the president’s address. Labelling them “pranksters masquerading as political actors”, he singled out the group’s editor and some TV anchorpersons for his harshest comments. He argued that neither the political parties nor the establishment were involved in trying to derail the system, only some “political jokers” were responsible for what he said was a vicious campaign to destabilise the government. He advised all such aspirants to a role in politics and those parties that had boycotted the last elections to wait their turn at the next elections, since the PPP and he had a mandate for five years and would see it through. Only the masses had the right to decide the fate of the PPP at the next elections, the president asserted.

It should not perhaps come as a surprise that the president has finally responded in like fashion to the heaps of calumny some media persons, and one group in particular, have been throwing at his person and the government for many months now. Pakistani politics is not known for civilised restraint, and the president may be forgiven for being all too human and succumbing to resentment after admirably holding his peace for all this time. Having said that, even if some concession is made to the fact that it was a political rally and the president was speaking in the avatar of the party co-chairperson, perhaps dignifying the visceral campaign against him and the government in mocking terms was not the right way to counter the one-sided tide. The PPP continues to suffer from a dearth of good media managers and spokespeople who can effectively counter criticism in an age of free media. Having vented his spleen, perhaps the co-chairperson should consider this weakness in the ranks of his party and government and take steps to bring forward people who do their homework diligently and are therefore well prepared against any onslaught, no matter from what quarter it emanates.

As to the media group in question, they too need to do some soul searching to establish whether their practices of recent days are in conformity with best practice in journalism. Personalised vitriol may vent anger, but does not meet the test of impartiality, accuracy and restraint in recognition of the respect due to the head of state and high government functionaries. After all, the exchange should not degenerate to the level of a street brawl. None of the parties would come out of such a fracas smelling like roses.

Restraint is advised to all sides in this controversy. The media group should revisit its policies and attitudes. The government and the presidency should also find better ways to counter what they regard as the spin against them in the media, fighting unacceptable arguments with better ones. On no account should the authorities indulge in heavy-handed tactics to try and intimidate the media or any part of it, as that will, in present-day Pakistan, have the opposite effect to that intended. Now that all is in the open, perhaps a truce or cooling off period on all sides should be the order of the day.

Read more...

Thursday, 26 November 2009

Shoaib Bhutta: Geo TV bribes judiciary to suppress the voice of an independent journalist



By Abdul Nishapuri

Shoaib Bhutta is the name of a courageous journalist who tried to expose the evil designs of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and his commerical empire known as Geo TV / Jang Group. He was the one who revealed a few weeks ago that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has demanded 400 crore rupees from President Zardari in order to stop the anti-democracy propaganda by Jang and Geo TV.

Additional Sessions Judge, Islamabad, Muhammad Tanvir Mir, has been bribed ten million rupees (one crore) by Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman to issue an arrest warrnat of a serving journalist. Independent journalists have protested against this act of Geo TV/Jang group / Judiciary as an attack on freedom of press.

Here is a history of Shoaib Bhutta:

Pakistan media freedom report 2002
On 5 August, Shoaib Bhutta, journalist with the weekly Capital, was severely beaten by armed individuals in a street of Faisalabad (centre of the country). The attackers were wearing security guard uniforms. Shoaib Bhutta suffered a broken leg. He was one of the rare journalists who had ignored the governmental directive inciting journalists to actively cover the trial of Asif Ali Zardari, husband of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Source

Reporters wihtout Borders: 2008 Report on Pakistan
Serious police brutality
Brutality and raids against the media also accompanied the imposition of emergency rule [of General Musharraf in 2007]. The secret services also went after journalists, and even more aggressively. Eight agents arrested Shoaib Bhutta, editor of the Urdu-language Daily Tulou at his office in Islamabad in November 2007. In two days of questioning, during which he was kept chained up and deprived of sleep, they quizzed him about why he was critical of the authorities. Source

Newspaper editor released
By Our Staff Reporter (Dawn, November 20, 2007)

ISLAMABAD, Nov 19: An Urdu newspaper editor, who was picked up by the personnel of law enforcement agencies at the weekend, was released here on Monday evening.

Shoaib Bhutta, the editor of Daily Tulou, was handed over to a group of journalists some 500 meters away from the Cantonment police station at around 6:30pm.

Mr Bhutta was picked up by a group of eight people believed to be personnel of a security agency from his office last Saturday night.

Mr Bhutta, when contacted, said he was picked up from his office, blindfolded and taken to an unidentified place where he was kept in the same condition till Monday morning.

During the period he was not allowed to sleep and was fettered too.

The personnel informed him that he was detained allegedly on the orders of the Punjab chief minister and the inspector general of police.

The personnel also asked him why he wrote against the president and the chief minister, but they did not produce any material in this regard on his request.

The captors also inquired about people who assist the journalists in their ongoing movement, he added.

Mr Bhutta quoted the personnel as saying that their high-ups directed them to arrest him, besides checking his record.

Sohail Iqbal, the chief editor of Online news agency, told Dawn that the president of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club Mushtaq Minhas asked him to contact the station house officer of the Cantonment police station and get the editor released.

He said that the SHO told him that Mr Bhutta was handed over to him on Sunday night. This was a very high-level matter and Deputy Inspector General of Police Rawalpindi himself supervised it, Mr Iqbal quoted the SHO as saying.

“He (Mr Bhutta) was released as he was cleared during investigation,” the SHO told Mr Iqbal.

Meanwhile, a group of five personnel wearing Punjab Constabulary uniform stormed the office of Daily Tulou located at G-7/1 Monday morning and seized all the office record and computer.

They also searched the office from top to bottom. However, the record and computer were also handed over to the journalists in the evening. Source

Court [bribed by Geo TV] issues arrest warrant for Bhutta
Thursday, November 26, 2009 (The News)

ISLAMABAD: Additional Sessions Judge, Islamabad, Muhammad Tanvir Mir, has issued an arrest warrant for Muhammad Shoaib Bhutta, publisher of a daily in Islamabad.

The judge summoned him on December 4 to ensure his presence in the court. The court issued an arrest warrant for Bhutta on the complaint of Abdul Aziz Mohmand, resident editor the Jang, The News and Geo editorial management, and on the basis of arguments and evidence presented before the court.

Abdul Aziz Mohmand in his application stated that in the best national interests, the Jang Group had played a leading role in the movement for an independent judiciary and rightly represented the masses. Besides, the Jang Group and Geo TV raised the issues of governance and corruption among the masses, due to which the group has to face serious challenges, he added.

He stated that the said person published defamatory, unfounded, false and baseless reports and financial charges in his newspaper against the Jang Group to damage its popularity and reputation among the masses.

The daily alleged that the head of the Jang Group editorial had sent a message to important personalities of the government that if they wanted end to one-sided campaign against them and personnel of the judiciary in the group newspapers, editorials and electronic media, they have to accept their demands. After the government refusal the group editorial head gave go-ahead to his workers and said that if the government is facing difficulties, then it should cut advertisements of other newspapers and electronic media to fulfil their shortage.

Abdul Aziz Mohmand maintained that the said publisher republished such baseless materials twice, and damaged the reputation of the group and tried to weaken its commitment.

The petitioner said that besides publishing baseless news against Geo TV, Daily Jang and The News the publisher Malik Shoaib Bhutta also printed posters and panaflex banners with logos of Geo TV, Jang and The News. The posters contained extremely contemptuous sentences against the Jang Group of Newspapers and Geo TV. When the workers of the Jang and well-wisher readers removed those banners and posters after the city administration failed to do so despite repeated complaints, the said publisher reported the next day, “the Jang Group could not tolerate few banners and posters against it”.

The same person also levelled baseless allegations against Jang Group during a talkshow on official TV channel. The petitioner requested the police to register an FIR against the accused, but the police neither responded positively nor registered an FIR.

Abdul Aziz Mohmand pleaded in his petition that this act was crime under section 499, 5000, 501, 502 and 502A of the Pakistan Penal Code. Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Tanvir Mir accepted the petition for regular hearing on the basis of arguments and evidences and said it seemed that Mohammad Shoaib Bhutta had intentionally committed defamation, hence his arrest warrant were being issued. The court adjourned the hearing till December 4, 2009 and ordered to appear before the court. Source

Read more...

Sultani Gawah: Have a heart, you are a 'crown witness', Mr Sehbai.


By Abdul Nishapuri

'Sultani Gawah' is an Urdu word meaning 'crown witness of the prosecution'. Those who understand the nature of power politics in Pakistan know where exactly crown (power) lies in Pakistan. Not very long ago, in 2002, Shaheen Sehbai was forced to leave the country because of his anti-ISI and anti-Pakistan Army columns. However, after a few years in exile (in which he wrote scores of articles defaming not only Pakistan Army but also declaring Pakistan as a terrorist state), he was allowed to return to the country in 2005. However, this time his role was a bit different. He was a "Sultani Gawah" of the establishment against the political class of Pakistan. This "Sultani Gawah" has nevertheless more than one masters, within and outside Pakistan.

In his words (The News, 26 November 2009): "Zardari's political colleagues are easy for him to handle because many of them are in the same boat of looted wealth and plundered resources." Source

Here is a brief historical overview which will help understand Shaheen Sehbai's current manoeuvres and manipulations.

Sehbai exposes ISI's connections with terrorists 2002

Mr Shaheen Sehbai (veteran journalist; currently resident editor of The News), escaped from Pakistan in 2002 to save himself from the so-called wrath of the establishment (Pakistan Army / ISI), after the controversy surrounding his story about the murder of Daniel Pearl. It was apparently simply to obtain the Green Card for himself, and his family in the United States. The Sehbai family dream came true when they finally got the USA passports.

On February 16, 2002, Sehbai let a story run that "exposed" Pakistan Army's ties with terrorist bombings in India (a story that also ran in The Washington Post and The International Herald Tribune). The government immediately stopped its advertisements in The News International, and asked The News to take action against those involved in the creation and publishing of the false story defaming the country and Pakistan Army.

Sehbai fired by Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman 2002

Because of the Daniel Pearl situation at the time, the Pakistani government was anxious to crush any rumors of connections to terrorism, and made a great deal of effort to reform its image. After the February 16th, 2002 article, The News CEO, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman asked Sehbai to resign because of his violation of the newspaper policy.

International smear campaign against Pakistan 2002-2005

In the USA, Mr Sehbai then started to run a web based news service, i.e., South Asia Tribune, funded through dubious sources (most probably by Mossad and CIA), in which he reported many cases of government and military corruption in Pakistan.

In 2005 he announced that he was closing The South Asian Tribune after three years of service. It is understood that he negotiated a deal with the establishment (Pakistan Army) and agreed to be a sultani gawah (crown witness for the prosecution) to promote establishment's interests in Pakistan.

During his self-imposed exile in the USA, he used to raise hue and cry against the military establishment that he and his family members’ life was in danger, but the so-called danger apparently vanished after the whole family getting the Green Cards.

Sultani Gawah 2005 - present

He then returned to Pakistan and that too under the same Musharraf regime, and joined ARY TV channel, then GEO, and then the News, where he is presently working. However, the secret deal struck between Sehbai and the ISI revolved around his role as a Sultani Gawah, an agents of the establishment against the political class in Pakistan.

Upon Zardari coming to power, he suddenly became active, and started writing almost a daily column in order to be noticed by Zardari. He was hoping to be appointed High Commissioner to Canada as he was competing with Haqqani. When this could not materialize, he became more bitter and along with other tools of the establishment (the pro-Taliban lobby including but not limited to Dr Shahid Masood, Ansar Abbasi etc) started yelping against the democratic government of Pakistan.

Invitation for a martial law 2008


Not only this Mr. Sehbai also tried to drag Pakistan Amry and wrote a letter to the Chief of Army Staff General Kayani urging him to intervene before the installation of political set up. The situation would be quite different if Mr. Sehbai was made ambassador to Canada, he would be praising Govt but alas the greedy dog could not get and now woofing madly.

Why is Sehbai unhappy with President Zardari?

Here is the list of various demands by Shaheen Sehbai and his cronies presented to President Zardari:

1. Removal of a criminal case against Shaheen Sehbai which was registered against Sehbai in 2001. The person who filed the complaint with the Rawalpindi police on 21 August is Khalid Hijazi, who is the former husband of a cousin of Sehbai. The complaint alleges that Sehbai carried out an “armed robbery” in his home on 22 February 2001. Sehbai was told by President Zardari that he must face these charges in a court of law.

2. Sehbai tried to approach Chief Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar for ’settlement’ of this case but his request was turned down.

3. Shaheen Sehbai’s team members (Ansar Abbasi and Shahid Masood in particular) are vehement supporters of the Taliban and Al Qaeda. They are upset with President Zardari because of his decision to fight terrorist of Taliban and Al Qaeda.

4. On February 16, 2002, Sehbai let a story run that “exposed” government Pakistani ties with terrorist bombings in India (a story that also ran in The Washington Post and The International Herald Tribune by the work of the reporter, not Sehbai). The government immediately stopped its advertisements in The News, and put inordinate pressure on the company to fire those involved in the creation and publishing of the story.

5. Mr. Sehbai returned to America and started a web based newspaper, The South Asian Tribune, in which he produced many false stories against Pakistan. Obviously he became bitter towards Musharraf because of Musharraf’s tough stance on war on terror and also because Musharraf had decided to weaken ties between ISI and Jihadis/Talibans. In 2005, Sehbai, announced that he was closing The South Asian Tribune after three years of service.

6. Invitation to the Army Chief General Kayani to intervene in politics: In his highly controversial article in Daily The News on 2 September 2008, Shaheen Sehbai states that the very fact that Asif Zardari is about to become the head of the state of Pakistan proves how big a mess Musharraf made. He says thus it is the army’s duty to fix it as the political parties certainly are not capable of doing it. “Risking the charge that will instantly be thrown at me that I am inviting the Army to intervene again”, he offers a seven-step plan for General Kiyani.Extremely shameful articles by Shaheen Sehbai. He is asking for a new Martial Law. What a shame

7. In 2009, Sehbai approached Zardari to be appointed as a High Commissioner to Canada. Apparently, the military establishment declined to approve this nomination because of Sehbai's previous hate speech and anti-Pakistan Army campaign in the international media.

Source

Here is an excerpt of Shaheen Sehbai's interview with the Times of India (dated 18 March 2002):

Exposing the Pakistani establishment's links with terrorists can be a hazardous job. It cost Daniel Pearl his life, and Shaheen Sehbai, former editor of 'The News', a widely-read English daily in Pakistan his job. Fearing for his life, Sehbai is now in the US He speaks to Shobha John about the pressure on journalists from the powers-that-be in Pakistan:

Q. Is it true you had to quit because a news report angered the government?
A. On February 16, our Karachi reporter, Kamran Khan, filed a story quoting Omar Sheikh as saying that he was behind the attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, the Kashmir assembly attack and other terrorist acts in India. Shortly after I am, I got a call on my cellphone from Ashfaq Gondal, the principal information officer of the government, telling me that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had intercepted the story and I should stop its publication.

I told him I was not prepared to do so. He then called my newspaper group owner/editor-in-chief, Mir Shakil ur Rehman in London and asked him to stop the story. Rehman stopped it in the Jang, the sister newspaper in Urdu but could not do so in The News as I was unavailable.

The next day, all editions of The News carried the story. It was also carried by The Washington Post and The International Herald Tribune the same day, as Kamran also reports for The Post. On February 18, all government advertising for the entire group was stopped.

On February 22, Rehman rushed to Karachi and called a meeting at 10 p m. He told me the government was 'very angry' at the story. He said he had been told to sack four journalists, including myself, if the ads were to be restored. He asked me to proceed to Islamabad to pacify the officials. Sham informed us that he had contacted the officials and was told by Anwar Mahmood, the information secretary that 'the matter was now beyond his capacity and we will have to see the ISI high-ups to resolve it'. I was told to go and see the ISI chief in Islamabad and also to call Anwar Mahmood on Eid and improve my 'public relations' with him.

I left the meeting with the firm resolve that I would neither call nor meet anyone, even at gunpoint. Sham, however, left for Islamabad to meet the officials. His meetings were unsuccessful. From my sources, I learned that the ISI and the government were not prepared to lift the ban unless I gave them specific assurances. If I refused, there may be trouble for me as the owner was already under pressure to fire me and the other three journalists.

On February 27, I took a flight out of Karachi to New York. On February 28, I received a memo from my owner accusing me of policy violations. In reply, on March 1, I sent in my resignation.

Q. Is the ISI still keeping a close watch on journalists after Daniel Pearl's killing?
A. The ISI has been a major player in domestic politics and continues to be so. That means it has to control the media and right now, it is actively involved in doing so. Pearl's murder has given them more reasons to activate the national interest excuse.

Q. Is there a sense of desperation within the Pakistan government that it should not be linked in any way to events in India?
A. Yes. That's why when our story quoted Omar Sheikh claiming such links, the government came down hard on us.

Q. Has there been any pressure on the staff of 'The News' to 'conform'?
A. Yes. The News was under constant pressure to stop its aggressive reporting on the corruption of the present government. A few months back, Pakistan International Airlines stopped all ads to The News as we ran a couple of exposes. A major story on the government owned United Bank was blocked when we sought the official version. Intelligence agencies were deputed to tail our reporters in Islamabad.

Q. This is not the first time you and your family have been under pressure, is it?
A. I have been the target of physical attacks in the past too for stories against the government. The first was in August 1990 when I was arrested and detained for 36 hours and falsely charged for drinking, before a judge gave bail. The second time, in December 1991, three masked men broke into my house in Islamabad, ransacked it, pulled guns on my two sons, beat them up and told them, "Tell your father to write against the government again and see what happens". In 1995, I was threatened once again and I had to take my entire family away. My newspaper then, Dawn, decided to post me to Washington as their correspondent. This time, I feared that I could be physically targeted again. So I decided to leave the country.

Q. What do you propose to do now?
A. I will be writing out of Washington for some time and will return to Pakistan around the October polls. My days in Pakistan were very exciting as I maintained a completely independent editorial policy and pursued it to the last day. In the memos written by the owner, he repeatedly complains that I was not consulting him on policies. I had no need to, as he watches his own commercial interests. Source


Oath of citizenship (United States)

The United States Oath of Allegiance (officially referred to as the "Oath of Allegiance," 8 C.F.R. Part 337 (2008)) is an oath that must be taken by all immigrants who wish to become United States citizens. The first officially recorded Oaths of Allegiance were made on May 30th, 1778 at Valley Forge, during the Revolutionary War.

The current oath is as follows:

I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.

In acknowledgement whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.
Shaheen Sehbai 15 October 2004.

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Wednesday, 25 November 2009

Pakistani People's Action against Geo TV and Jang Group

’اسٹیبلشمنٹ نہیں کچھ اداکار حکومت ہٹانا چاہتے ہیں ‘

کراچی میں پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے تینتالیسواں یومِ تاسیس کے جلسہ عام سے ایوان صدر اسلام آباد سے بذریعہ سیٹلائیٹ خطاب کرتے ہوئے صدر آصف علی زرداری نےکہا کہ پارلیمنٹ اور اپوزیشن بالغ ہوچکی ہے، اس لیے اپوزیشن اور نہ ہی اسٹیبلمشنٹ چاہتی ہے کہ یہ جمہوری نظام پٹڑی سے اترے۔ صدر زرداری نے کہا ’صرف سیاسی اداکاروں کی یہ خواہش ہے۔‘

انہوں نے کہا کہ سندھ نے پاکستان بنایا اور پیپلز پارٹی نے آج تک اسے قائم و دائم رکھا ہے اور آئندہ بھی رکھیں گے۔’چند لوگ یہ سمجھتے ہیں کہ اداکاری کرکے ان سے ان کا حق چھین لیں گے۔‘

صدر زرداری نے پاکستان کے ایک بڑے میڈیا گروپ کا نام لیے بغیر کہا کہ ایک چینل کی اجارہ داری قائم ہوگئی ہے ’وہ اپنا ریٹ لینا چاہتے ہیں مگر ہم اس کے ریٹ دیئے بغیر یہاں پہنچے تھے، ان کے ریٹ دیئے بغیر یہاں بیٹھے ہیں اور ان کا ریٹ دیئے بغیر آنے والے انتخابات میں کامیاب ہوں گے ۔‘

By Abdul Nishapuri

Pakistani People's response to blackmailing by Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and his slaves at Geo TV / Jang Group


The informed and politically aware people of Pakistan will not succumb to the blackmailing of Geo TV / Jang Group (Jang / The News).

This is our message to Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and his anti-democracy propaganda team, namely Dr Shahid Masood (President of Pakistani Taliban Union of Journalists), Ansar Abbsi (Taliban agent), Shaheen Sehbai (the Zionist mouthpiece against ISI, the USA passport holder), Muhammad Saleh Zaafir (Taliban apologist) and others.

DO NOT act as pawns of the establishment in trying to derail democracy. Do not weaken the already fragile institution of constitutional government in Pakistan.

DO NOT defame politicians while remaining criminally silent over corruption and mismanagement by the holy cows of the military and civil establishment in Pakistan.

DO NOT exploit the innocent people of Pakistan by creating an artificial Islam versus USA hype. Don't defame the war on terror; don't eulogize Taliban butchers.

If Geo TV, Jang and The News do not refrain from yellow journalism, and do not refrain from hatching conspiracies against the people's government, then we, the people of Pakistan, will be entitled to use the following legal means to express our displeasure:

  1. We will stop buying Jang, The News and other newspapers published by the Jang Group.
  2. We will stop subscribing to Geo TV and other TV channels of the Jang Group in Pakistan and abroad.
  3. As owners and managers of private and multinational companies, we will not seek to advertise our products and services through Geo TV, Jang, The News and other publications and outlets of the Jang Group.
  4. We will ask cable operators in our cities, towns and local communities to stop transmitting Geo TV to our homes and businesses.
  5. We will put public pressure on federal, provincial and local governments to refrain from pumping the public advertising revenue to the media outlets, newspapers and TV channels of the Jang Group.
  6. We will file cases in the courts of law in all the four provinces as well as in FATA, Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan against the administrators and owners of Geo TV and the Jang Group for trying to subvert the legal and constitutional government of Pakistan through unconstitutional means.
List of publications and TV channels by the Jang Group:
  • Daily Jang
  • The News
  • Geo TV
  • Daily News
  • Daily Awam
  • Weekly Akhbar-e-Jahan
  • Weekly The Mag
  • Geo News
  • Geo TV (entertainment)
  • Geo Super
  • Aag TV
Request to our visitors and contributors:

We at 'Let us build Pakistan' request you to provide us with substantial legal evidence and documents against the wrongdoings of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and his team so that these blackmailers could be dragged in a court of law in due course of time. We assure you of complete confidentiality and anonymity. Please write to us at: pakistanteam@gmail.com

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Tuesday, 24 November 2009

Geo: journalism without conscience

Pakistan’s conspiracy theories stifle debate
Ahmed Rashid

Switch on any of the dozens of satellite news channels now available in Pakistan.
You will be bombarded with talk show hosts who are mostly obsessed with demonising the elected government, trying to convince viewers of global conspiracies against Pakistan led by India and the United States or insisting that the recent campaign of suicide bomb blasts around the country is being orchestrated by foreigners rather than local militants.

Viewers may well ask where is the passionate debate about the real issues that people face - the crumbling economy, joblessness, the rising cost of living, crime and the lack of investment in health and education or settling the long-running insurgency in Balochistan province.

“ The principal obsession is when and how President Asif Ali Zardari will be replaced or sacked ”

The answer is nowhere.

One notable channel which also owns newspapers has taken it upon itself to topple the elected government.

Another insists that it will never air anything that is sympathetic to India, while all of them bring on pundits - often retired hardline diplomats, bureaucrats or retired Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officers who sport Taliban-style beards and give viewers loud, angry crash courses in anti-Westernism and anti-Indianism, thereby reinforcing views already held by many.

Collapse of confidence

Pakistan is going through a multi-dimensional series of crises and a collapse of public confidence in the state.

Suicide bombers strike almost daily and the economic meltdown just seems to get worse.

But this is rarely apparent in the media, bar a handful of liberal commentators who try and give a more balanced and intellectual understanding by pulling all the problems together.


The explosion in TV channels in Urdu, English and regional languages has bought to the fore large numbers of largely untrained, semi-educated and unworldly TV talk show hosts and journalists who deem it necessary to win viewership at a time of an acute advertising crunch, by being more outrageous and sensational than the next channel.

On any given issue the public barely learns anything new nor is it presented with all sides of the argument.

Every talk show host seems to have his own agenda and his guests reflect that agenda rather than offer alternative policies.

Recently, one senior retired army officer claimed that Hakimullah Mehsud - the leader of the Pakistani Taliban which is fighting the army in South Waziristan and has killed hundreds in daily suicide bombings in the past five weeks - had been whisked to safety in a US helicopter to the American-run Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

In other words the Pakistani Taliban are American stooges, even as the same pundits admit that US-fired drone missiles are targeting the Pakistani Taliban in Waziristan.

These are just the kind of blatantly contradictory and nut-case conspiracy theories that get enormous traction on TV channels and in the media - especially when voiced by such senior former officials.

The explosion in civil society and pro-democracy movements that brought the former military regime of President Pervez Musharraf to its knees over two years has become divided, dissipated and confused about its aims and intentions.

Even when such activists do appear on TV, their voices are drowned out by the conspiracy theorists who insist that every one of Pakistan's ills are there because of interference by the US, India, Israel and Afghanistan.

The army has not helped by constantly insisting that the vicious Pakistani Taliban campaign to topple the state and install an Islamic emirate is not a local campaign waged by dozens of extremist groups, some of whom were trained by the military in the 1990s, but the result of foreign conspiracies.

Economic crisis

Such statements by the military hardly do justice to the hundreds of young soldiers who are laying down their lives to fight the Taliban extremists.

Nor has the elected government of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) tried to alter the balance, as it is mired in ineffective governance and widespread corruption while failing to tackle the economic recession, that is admittedly partly beyond its control.

Moreover the PPP has no talking pundits, sympathetic talk show hosts or a half decent media management campaign to refute the lies and innuendo that much of the media is now spewing out.

At present, the principal obsession is when and how President Asif Ali Zardari will be replaced or sacked, although there is no apparent constitutional course available to get rid of him except for a military coup, which is unlikely.

The campaign waged by some politicians and parts of the media - with underlying pressure from the army - is all about trying to build public opinion to make Mr Zardari's tenure untenable.

Nobody discusses the failure of the education system that is now turning out hundreds of suicide bombers, rather than doctors and engineers.

Or the collapsing and corrupt national health system that forces the poorest to seek expensive private medical treatment, or the explosion in crime or suicides by failed farmers and workers who have lost their jobs.

Pakistan cannot tackle its real problems unless the country's leaders - military and civilian - first admit that much of the present crisis is a result of long-standing mistakes, the lack of democracy, the failure to strengthen civic institutions and the lack of investment in public services like education, even as there continues to be a massive investment in nuclear weapons and the military.

Pakistan's crisis must first be acknowledged by officialdom and the media before solutions can be found.

The alternative is a continuation of the present paralysis where people are left confused, demoralised and angry.

Ahmed Rashid is the author of the best-selling book Taliban and, most recently, of Descent into Chaos: How the war against Islamic extremism is being lost in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia.

If you have a comment on this article, please use the form below.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/8369914.stm

Published: 2009/11/24 02:02:54 GMT

© BBC MMIX

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Friday, 20 November 2009

Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman: The most reliable tool of Pakistani establishment

Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, Founder and Chairman of GEO TV
Pakistan's second richest man: Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman
The notorious blackmailer, anarchist and the owner of the Jang/Geo Group of Pakistan

تو جو مخلص اگر ہے تو یہ کام کر
کارخانے کو مزدور کے نام کر

Geo TV involved in running anti-Zardari campaign

November 20, 2009

Lahore: Leaders of the ruling Pakistan People's Party have accused two TV anchors of running a vilification campaign against President Asif Ali Zardari at the behest of "anti-democratic" forces.

Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, a close aide of PPP chief Zardari, said: "Two anchors of a popular private channel are running a malicious campaign against the President but they will not succeed in their designs."

Though Kaira did not name the two anchors, other PPP leaders said they are Hamid Mir and Shahid Masood of Geo News channel. "It seems that there are no other issues in the country but the President for this TV channel," Kaira said.

However, he made it clear the government has no intention to impose curbs on the anchors or on their channel.

In private meetings, PPP leaders have accused the Geo media group of working on an agenda to topple their government at the centre. They have suggested to the party leadership that the government should either ban anti-Zardari programmes or boycott the Geo group.

However, these suggestions have not been heeded by the leadership.

A PPP insider said to a news agency that Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, the owner of the Geo media group, had conveyed a party leader that there is "no place for Mr Zardari in the presidency" and his group would create such hype that he would have to quit "within three months".

"This is outrageous. Something will have to be done to check this media militancy," the PPP leader said.

Besides Geo News channel, the group owns the popular Urdu daily Jang and the English daily The News. Source

Mir Shakil ur Rahman (MSR) is the owner of the Independent Media Corporation and Group Chief Executive and Group Editor in Chief of Jang Group of Companies of Pakistan. This media group publishes a number of Newspapers and Magazines in Urdu and English. IMC also owns the Geo TV network.

Pakistan's second richest family
Islamabad, Nov. 16: The number of mega-rich families with huge business empires has risen to 40 in Pakistan over the last few years. The holders of these empires include at least three leading newspaper groups and the Hashwani group of companies, which enjoys a monopoly in the hotel industry.

According to a recent survey, The Nishat Group of Mian Muhammad Mansha is the captain of this splendid ship, having around 30 companies on board.

Mansha, who owns the Muslim Commercial Bank as well as several textile, leasing, investment, cement and insurance companies, is now setting up a Rs 1-billion ($17 m) paper sack project. The Nishat Group was the country’s 15th-richest family in 1970, sixth in 1990 and number one in 1997.

The Jang group of newspapers comes second. Its huge media empire was founded by the late Mir Khalil-ur-Rehman some six decades ago.

Today, around 10 top newspapers and the multi-billion-rupee GEO TV project are being run by Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, Mir Khalil’s brainy son, who has a lot of projects relating to real estate under his belt, too.


The Jang Group
This huge media empire was founded by late Mir Khalil-ur-Rehman some six decades ago. Today, around 10 top newspapers and the multi-billion rupee GEO TV project are being run by Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, Mir Khalil's brainy son, who has a lot of projects pertaining to real estate under his belt too. Though he can be very modest, Shakeel is known to have taken country's Prime Ministers head-on. His tussle with Nawaz Sharif in 1999 spoke volumes of his unmatched influence in all domestic and international quarters which matter. Shakeel is one of Asia's most well known media barons, whose newspapers have served to be the breeding nurseries for country's top journalists. He invests massively in stocks business regularly. His elder brother Mir Javed ur Rehman and tender son Mir Ibrahim also assist him in business. Such magnificent has been his influence that at times, a few governments have opted to take a few of his employees as ministers. The Group, as most politicians agree, has been instrumental in both toppling and building governments in Pakistan for decades now. Limelight is the product that he sells but doesn't like tasting the fruits of his own garden.


Do you think that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is a liberal fascist or that his media empire (Geo TV/Jang Group) is pro neo-Cons? Both speculations are not correct. In fact, sons of Mir Khalil ur Rahman are not fool to side with any ideology openly, it is their history that they remain subservient to the interests of the civil and military establishment. They take extreme care not to violate the interests of military rulers (with the exception of a fair amount of face saving criticism); while they are always critical of democratic governments (e.g. Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto), they take extreme care to sign any NROs with military dictators (e.g. with General Musharraf) in order to save their commercial interests. They are thus every ready to jump into the ruling boat no sooner any military ruler grabs power and both sons start to itch palm of the hand, with an aim to loot as much as possible through exploitation of public sentiments, while also enjoying a grand share in the Government sponsored advertisements (to the tune of 60% of all ads in the public sector), for which they are ready to bulldoze their competitors without any sympathy.

Who are the people behind Geo TV. Just think. They telecast a false news and stock market crashes in Pakistan…

· Do you know Shahid Masood and Hamid Mir, each of them gets RS 25 lakh per month ,
· Such huge amount? Is it possible and justifiable in this poor country? Where is all that money coming from?

Geo did not show any good news, e.g. Islamabad Peshwar motorway, Gilgit Baltistan reforms, Balochistan package, Success of military operations in Swat and Waziristan. Instead Geo TV shows dead people in Peshawar and Karachi. Instead of condemning Taliban's terrorist activities, their anchors are busy in spreading cheap pro-Taliban and anti-USA propaganda. Why?

....

Jang Group versus Nawaz Sharif: A page from the past:

The Jang Group--empire would be a more appropriate term to use--became big by playing handmaiden to every regime in Pakistan. It has seldom taken an adversarial position in the past. In fact, Jang London was launched with seed money provided by the late general Zia ul-Haq. The string of newspapers and magazines it has launched are all the result not so much of talent but of government largesse.

If the government says the Group is in default of two billion rupees in tax arrears, there may be some truth to it. In fact, most newspapers and magazines as well as businesses in Pakistan are tax cheaters. In addition, they get preferential treatment in newsprint allocation if they toe the government line. Similarly, their largest source of revenue is government advertising.

This last is incidentally not confined to Pakistan. Even in a largely free and democratic society like Canada, government advertising is used to keep some media outlets in line. The Crescent International for instance, used to get Canadian government advertising until it turned itself into the newsmagazine of the Islamic Movement in 1980. Government advertising immediately stopped. Our advertising agent told us that we were becoming 'too serious' about our work.

It was alright to talk about bhangra and songs, or praise the lord and pass the bacon but getting serious about issues was not. Even today, scores of rags--what pass for community papers--get substantial Canadian government advertising because they are non-serious and nonsensical. Discussing issues in-depth and giving a clear perspective exposing government wrongdoing--in this case western hypocrisy in matters of international affairs--lands one in trouble.

We did not complain. We simply got on with the job relying on Allah for help. He is the best of providers. We have not become an empire but we have acquired a global readership that is committed to sustaining us. The owners of Jang Group do not think this way. They have made their fortune by piggybacking on successive governments. Newspapers are a source of moneymaking in Pakistan. Most journalists, too, are not concerned about truth, barring a few notable exceptions.

In the seventies and early eighties, Dawn newspaper was bought in large numbers by the Pakistan government and distributed free among expatriate communities abroad through its embassies and missions. Mahmoud Haroon, owner of the Dawn Group, was at the time interior minister in general Zia's cabinet.

Most newspapers and magazines in Pakistan cheat on their tax returns. The government is well within its right to go after these business, but in the proper manner. It is the job of the tax department to assess tax revenues and a defaulter must be given the right to challenge what is assessed against him.

In October 1998, thegovernment served the group with tax notices totallingover 720 million rupees (about $13 million). Soon afterthe group's bank accounts were frozen.

Between Nov. 25 and Dec. 22, 1998, 25 notices were served on theGroup for various offences. On Dec. 22, a demand for 2 billion rupees in tax arrears wasmade against the group.

Source

جیو ٹی وی ؟ کڑوا سچ


نصر ملک۔۔ کوپن ہیگن

پاکستان کے اندر اور بیرون پاکستان “ جیو ٹیلیویژن “ کی نشریات پاکستانیوں میں خوب دیکھی جاتی ہیں لیکن “ جیو ٹی وی “ کی ان نشریات میں پیش کِیا کیا جاتا ہے اور اس کے پیچھے کیا محرکات ہوتے ہیں یہ اندازہ شاید ہی کسی نے لگایا ہو ۔ اندرون پاکستان ‘ جیو ٹی وی کی نشریات پر حساس ناظرین اپنے خدشات کا اظہار تو کرتے ہی رہتے ہیں اب بیرون ملک بھی “ جیو ٹی وی “ کی نشریات پر “ پاکستانی ناظرین “ کے تحفظات میں اضافہ ہوتا جا رہا ہے ۔ لیکن کیوں؟

آئیے دیکھتے ہیں کہ جیو ٹی وی کی ابتدا کیسے ہوئی اور اس کی وہ نشریات جنہیں یہ ادارہ “ قومی مفادات اور شعور ملی کی بیداری کے لیے پیش کرنے “ کا دعویٰ کرتا ہے ‘ اِن نشریات کا دوسرے ٹی وی اداروں کی نشریات سے موازنہ کیا جائے کہ جیو ٹی وی ‘ کہاں تک “ ملی مفادات اور قومی شعور کی بیداری کے لیے متحرک ہے ۔“

یہ بات تو بالکل ڈھکی چھپی نہیں کہ جیو ٹی وی‘ امریکی امداد سے شروع کیا گیا تھا اور اس کا بنیادی مقصد مایوسیوں ‘ ناکامیوں اور محرومیوں کو یوں سامنے لانا تھا کہ عوام بحیثت پاکستانی قوم خود کو اور اپنے ملک کو “ ناکامیوں ‘ مایوسیوں اور محرومیوں کے گرداب سے کبھی باہر ہی نہ نکال پائیں ۔ پاکستان کی پچاس فیصد ان پڑھ آبادی جیو ٹی وی کی ان نشریات کو “ انکشافات “ سمجھتے ہوئے اپنی بے خبری کی وجہ سے انہیں حقیقت مان لیتی ہے ۔

اب سوال یہ پیدا ہوتا ہے کہ امریکی عہدیدار یہاں تک کہ امریکی ٹی وی نشریاتی ادارے پاکستان کے بارے میں صرف ‘ جیو ٹی وی ہی کا حوالہ دیتے ہیں دوسرے آزاد ٹی وی اداروں کا ذکر کیوں نہیں کیا جاتا ؟

جیو ٹی وی کی نشریات ہی میں لوگوں کے سر کٹے دھڑ ‘ بموں میں مرتے ہوتے ہوئے ملبوں میں دبے ہوئے لوگوں کو دکھایا جاتا ہے ۔ کیا دنیا کا کوئی اور ٹی وی ‘ ایسے مناظر اتنے تسلسل سے دکھاتا ہے ؟

ذرا سوچیئے بھارت میں کم و بیش دو ہزار مسلمانوں کو گجرات میں تین ماہ کے اندر قتل کردیا گیا ان کی املاک تباہ اور نذر آتش کردی گئیں لیکن وہاں کے ٹیلیویژن اداروں نے ان وارداتوں کی دستاویزی نشریات کہاں دکھائیں ۔ کیا مسلمانوں کے اس قتل عام کے بارے میں ذی ٹی وی ‘ سونی ٹی وی اور دیگر انڈین ٹی وی چینلز نے کوئی نشریات پیش کیں ؟

بھارت میں اس وقت آسام و بہار سے لے کر پنجاب اور کشمیر تک کم سے کم اٹھانوے علیحدگی پسند تحریک متحرک ہیں کیا کبھی ذی ٹی وی ‘ سونی ٹی وی نے ان کی لڑائیوں اور مارے جانے والے بھارتی فوجیوں اور سیکورٹی والوں کی کوریج کی ہے ؟ کیا کبھی بھارتی چینلوں نے بھارت کے ڈھائی سو ملین لوگوں کو گلیوں میں فٹ پاتھوں پر ریلوے کی لائینوں کے اردگرد سوتے دکھایا ہے ؟

اسلام آباد میں لال مسجد کاواقعہ جیو ٹی وی کے نشریاتی پروگراموں میں اب تک سر فہرست ‘ بینر کے طور پر دکھایا جاتا ہے۔ کتنے بھارتی ٹی وی ہر روز ‘ گولڈن ٹمپل پر حملے ‘ اندرا گاندھی کے قتل ‘ بابری مسجد کے انہدام ‘ گجرات و بہار کے مسلمانوں کے قتل عام ‘ راجیو گاند ھی کے قتل اور اسی طرح کے دوسرے واقعات کی کلپ فملیں اپنےآغاز پروگرام میں دکھاتے ہیں ؟

کیا آپ نے کبھی بھارتی سیاستدانوں کو ‘ اختلاف رکھنے کے باوجود اپنے صدر یا وزیر اعظم کے خلاف ‘ ٹی وی پینلز پر ‘ نازیبا زبان استعمال کرتے ‘ گالیاں دیتے اور کھلم کھلا اُن کے لیے موت ‘ پھانسی اور جلاوطنی جیسی سزائیں تجویز کرتے سنا ہے ؟ جیو ٹی وی پاکستان میں پاکستانی سیاستدانوں کے ایسے بیانات سنا رہا ہے آخر کیوں ؟ صحافت کا اپنا ضابطہ اخلاق کس گنگا میں بہا دیا گیا ہے ؟

جیو ٹی وی نواز شریف اور خود سابق چیف جسٹس کی کارستانیوں سے پردہ کیوں نہیں اٹھایا؟

اب کچھ جیو ٹی وی کی مزید “ قومی خدمات “ کے بارے میں ۔

جیو ٹی وی نے نام نہاد ایمرجنسی کی جعلی خبریں یوں نشر کیں کہ ملک بھر میں سٹاک مارکیٹ کا جنازہ نکل گیا کیونکہ جیو کے نام نہاد اقتصادی ماہرین کو ہدایات ہی یہی تھیں کہ کیا کہنا ہے اور ملک میں اقتصادی افراتفری کو ہوا کیسے دینی ہے۔

کامران خالد ‘ پچیس لاکھروپے ماہانہ جیو ٹی وی سے کس بات کے وصول کرتے تھے ۔

ڈاکٹر شاھد مسعود ‘ “ این ایس ایف “ کے باقاعدہ رکن تھے ۔ این ایس ایف پاکستان کی بنیادی نظریئے اور اس کی سالمیت کے ساتھ ساتھ جماعت اسلامی کی کٹر مخالف ہے ۔ یہ صاحب بائیس لاکھ روپیہ ماہانہ لیتے ‘ اور کراچی و دوبئی میں شاندار مکانات رکھتے ہیں ۔

حامد میر جیسے نام نہاد مبصر ‘ روزنامہ اوصاف کے مدیر کو بھی بھاری رقوم ادا کی گئیں اور نادیہ خان نے بھی پیسے بنائے ۔ مل ملا کر چھ لاکھ روپے ان آزاد صحافیوں کو دیئے گئے ۔ کیوں ؟

سوچا جا سکتا ہے کہ کرکٹ کا میچ نہ دکھا کر جیو ٹی وی نے خود بتایا کہ اسے ایک ملین روپے کا خسارہ ہوا ہے تو سوال یہ پیدا ہوتا ہے کہ اب چوبیس گھنٹے سابق جسٹس افتخار کی جو کوریج نشر کی جا رہی ہے اس کے اخراجات جیو والے کیسے اور کہاں سے پورے کر رہے ہیں ؟ ان اخراجات کا ذرا تخمینہ تو لگا کر دیکھئے ۔ یہ تو سی این این ‘ بی بی سی بھی برداشت نہیں کر سکتے ۔

پچاس فیصد بھارتی ڈرامے اور باقی کی ثقافتی نشریات میں پاکستانی و بھارتی فلموں کا مشترکہ طور پر نشریاتی وقت ـ کیا معنی رکھتا ہے اور کس دیس کی خدمت کر رہا ہے اور کیوں؟

القصہ مختصر “ جیو‘ جدید استعماری آقاؤں کے اشاروں پر “ اتنا جھوٹ بولو کہ سچ ہو جائے “ کی پالیسی پر عمل کرتے ہوئے “ اتنا جھوٹ بول چکا ہے اور بول رہا ہے کہ پاکستانی قوم اندرون وطن اور بیرون وطن ‘ جیو کی ہر خبر کو “ جھوٹ “ جانتے ہوئے بھی “ سچ “ ماننے پر مجبور ہو جاتی ہے ۔ کیا آپ اس سے متفق نہیں ہیں؟ اور متفق نہیں تو ‘ کیوں؟؟
( القمر آن لائن بلاگ



What is the political agenda of Geo TV?
Published by TV Explore on November 5, 2009

Stung by an avalanche of criticism from the leading Jang media group, the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has decided to take action against it by imposing some curbs on the electronic media or by boycotting the organisation.

President Asif Ali Zardari, who also heads the PPP, has called a meeting of the party’s central executive committee at the presidency on November 9 to discuss this issue, party sources said. Zardari and his party believe the Jang media group has been working on a “special agenda” to topple the PPP-led government at the centre, they said.

“The way the Jang group, especially its Geo News channel, created hype by twisting the statement of Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain about asking the President to offer a sacrifice on Monday has annoyed all in the PPP, including Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani,” a senior PPP leader who did not want to be named said to a news agency.

Geo News had reported on Monday that the MQM chief had asked Zardari to quit the post of President over the issue of the National Reconciliation Ordinance, a controversial law passed by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to grant PPP leaders immunity in graft cases.

Several MQM leaders had made similar claims to other reporters but the party later changed its stance. However, PPP leaders believe Geo News had implied that “Zardari is a product of the NRO” and he should face corruption cases in courts after resigning.

Major parties like the PML-N, PML-Q and MQM said they would not back a move to get parliament to endorse the NRO in line with a ruling from the Supreme Court. The PPP then decided to go back on its decision to present the NRO in parliament for ratification.

“The owner of the Jang group, Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, has conveyed to one of our party leaders that he will throw Zardari out of the presidency within three months. How can we sit idle after receiving such a warning from the owner of a major media group?” asked the PPP leader, who is a close aide of Zardari.

He said the PPP’s opponents, acting in connivance with the Jang group, want to install a government led by former premier Nawaz Sharif’s PML-N party.

“We have already received suggestions from some senior party leaders who are unanimous that putting curbs on the media as a whole may backfire and instead the PPP should boycott the Jang group,” he said.

“By doing so, we will register not only our protest but force it to set aside its hostility to the PPP government and President Zardari,” he added.

Meanwhile, the parliament’s standing committee on information and broadcasting has decided that laws enforced by Musharraf to bridle the electronic media should be incorporated in the proposed Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority Act. (Source)

qaisanwar said:

۔۔۔۔ جمہوریت کا منظر بمعہ جمہوریت کے ساتھ کیا ہوگا ۔۔۔۔۔۔
بروزن ۔۔۔۔۔ موت کا منظر بمعہ مرنے کے بعد کیا ہوگا ۔۔۔

کچھ بیس تیس سال پہلے ؛ دیواروں پر؛ جنسی معالجوں کے اشتہاروں کے درمیان ایک کتاب کا اشتہار
بھی لکھا ہوتا تھا۔۔۔۔ موت کا منظر معہ مرنے کے بعد کیا ہو گا۔۔۔۔ کتاب میں مصنف نے قبر کے عذاب کا
ایک ہیبت ناک نقشہ کھینچا ہے ۔کتاب پڑھنے کے بعد قاری کے پاس دو ہی راستے ہوتے ہیں یا تو قبر
کے عذاب سے اتنا ڈر جاءے کہ مبلغین کے گروہ میں شامل ہو جاءے یا سرے سے موت کے بعد کے عقیدوں
سے ہی انکاری ہو جاءے ۔ اس کتاب نے اس گروہ کے فروغ میں بڑا اہم کردار ادا کیا۔ اس گروہ کے
ارکان اکثر جب تبلیغ کے لیے نکلتے ہیں تو اپنے ساتھیوں کا تعارف اس طرح کراتے ہیں بھاءی ۔۔۔۔۔۔
ہمارے ساتھ شامل ہونے سے پہلے ایک بدکردار اور رشوت خور افسر تھے۔ ہماری تبلیغ سے متاثر
ہونے کے بعد انہوں نے سب کام چھوڑ دءے ہیں اور آجکل سارا وقت اللہ کی راہ میں لگاتے ہیں۔ نیکی
کی راہ میں نکلنے والے ان نءے مسافروں کی عمر عمومآ ساٹھ سے زیادہ ہوتی ہے اور صاف پتہ
چلتا ہے کہ بلی نو سو چوہے کھا چکی ہے۔ مجھے یاد ہے کہ اس گروہ کے لوگ جب کبھی ہماری
یونیورسٹی کے ہاسٹل میں آیا کرتے تھےتو طلبہ کو کہانیاں سنا یا کرتے تھے کہ ایک بھاءی امتحان
کی رات بھی پہلا پہر تبلیغ کرتے رہے خدا کی قدرت کہ رات کے آخری پہر انہیں خواب میں پورا
امتحانی پرچہ نظر آگیا۔
میرے ممدوح ڈاکٹر شاہد مسعود کا بھی ایک ایسے ہی قبیل سے تعلق ہے ۔ ان کی کتاب کا نام ہے
۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ جمہوریت کا منظر بمعہ جمہوریت کے ساتھ کیا ہو گا ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ یہ کتاب بھی جمہوریت کا کچھ ایسا
ہیبت ناک نقشہ کھینچتی ہے کہ نوجوان ذہن یا تو جمہوریت سے ڈرنے لگتا ہے یا جمہوریت کے تصور
سے ہی باغی ہو جاتا ہے۔ اس گروہ کے مبلغین میں کثیر تعداد ان بزرگوں کی ہے جن کی جوانی
جمہوریت دشمنی میں گزری۔ اس میں روءیداد خان جیسے اسی سالہ تجربہ کار بابے بھی شامل ہیں
یہ وہ پہنچے ہوءے بزرگ ہیں کہ پندرہ بیس سال پہلے جب کسی نوآموز سیاسی کارکن کو سمجھانا
ہوتا تھا کہ اسٹبلشمنٹ کیا ہے تو یوں شروع کیا جاتا تھا کہ یہ پاکستان میں ایک نہ نظر آنے والی قوت
ہے جس میں روءیداد خاں ؛ غلام اسحاق خان اور ۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔جیسے عہدے دار شامل ہوتے ہیں۔ اسی تبلیغی
گروہ میں ہارون ارشید جیسے جہاں دیدہ بھی شامل ہیں جنہوں نے اپنی بھٹو دشمنی کا خواب کبھی
مرنے نہیں دیا اور مولانا مودودی؛ جنرل ضیا ءا لحق اور پھر عمران خان کا ہاتھ مضبوطی سے
تھامے رکھا۔ اس گروہ میں شامل ہو نے والے ایک بزرگ کا نام حمید گل ہے۔ وہ ساری عمر امریکہ
کی خدمت کرتے رہے لیکن آخر کار قدرت نے ان کی راہنماءی کی اور وہ آخری عمر میں بہت بڑے
امریکہ دشمن ہو گءے ۔

میرے محترم شاہد مسعود ہر جمعہ ؛ ہفتہ اور اتوار کی رات صراط مستقیم اختیار کرنے والے ان
بزرگوں کے ساتھ سہ روزہ تبلیغ پر نکلتے ہیں۔ اس تبلیغ میں سب سے پہلے جمہوریت کے تاریک
مناظر دکھاءے جاتے ہیں ۔ اس کے بعد سارے بزرگ باری باری بتاتے ہیں کہ اگر جمہوریت جاری
رہی تو لوگوں کا کیا انجام ہو گا۔

ڈاکٹر شاہد مسعود اس امید پرزندہ ہیں کہ جس طرح طالب علم کو تبلیغ کے صلے میں آخر شب پرچہ خواب
میں نظر آگیا تھاانہیں بھی اس تبلیغ کے صلے میں نءے بندوبست میں ارشاد حقانی؛ مبشر لقمان
اور نجم سیٹھی کی طرح ایک نگران وزارت مل جاءے گی۔

آج کے پروگرام میں بھی میرے ہیرو نے اپنے مخصوص انداز سے نہیں ہٹے ۔ آغاز حسب معمول
دھوکا دہی کی منطق) ڈیسیپٹو لاجک(کو استعمال کرتے ہوءے ماءیکل جیکسن اورپاکستانی سیا ست دانوں
کی امیج بلڈنگ کی کوششوں کے تقابلی جاءزے سے کیا ۔

دور حاضر کے عظیم دانشور ڈاکٹر شاہد مسعود نے حسب معمول اپنے خاص انداز میں فیاضی کے تصور کو
اپنی بیان کردہ تعریف تک محدود کر دیا۔ حالانکہ فیاضی کی تشہیر موجودہ معاشرے کا ہی ایک عمل نہیں
بلکہ دولت کی نا منصفانہ تقسیم اور فیاضی پہلو بہ پہلو ظہور پزیر ہوءے۔ سلطنتوں کی توسیع اور لگان
کی وصولی کے دوران لاکھوں افراد کو قتل کرنے والوں کی فیاضی کی داستانیں درباری مورخوں نے بڑی
تفصیل سے بیان کی ہیں۔ان میں سے بہت سے وہ ہیں جن کو میرے محترم شاہد مسعود جیسے لوگ
ہیرو کے طور پر پوجتے ہیں ۔
پھر میرے عظیم میزبان نے اپنے پسندیدہ افراد کو بلایا ۔امیج بلڈنگ کی ایک تعریف متعین
کی اور پھر اس محدود تعریف کے اندر ہی لوگوں سے سوال پوچھنا شروع کیے۔ امیج بلڈنگ کو صرف اخباری
اشتہاروں اور تصویروں کے ساتھ مشروط کردینا ہی کافی نہیں ہے۔یہ ایک وسیع تصور ہے اس میں پس پردہ لابنگ
سب سے بڑا کردار ادا کرتی ہے یہ وہ کام ہے جس میں میڈیا میں میرے محترم شاہد مسعود جیسے لوگ بھی
سرانجام دیتے ہیں ۔۔

ہر سوال سے پہلے یا سوال کے دوران میرے عظیم میزبان نے اس کا تعلق آصف زرداری یا پیپلز پارٹی سے بنانے
کی بھی بھر پور کوشش کی۔ جیسے ڈاکٹر صفدر محمود سے بات سے پہلے امیج بلڈنگ کی تعریف ایسے متعین کی
’میرے دوروں کو بڑھا چڑھا کر پیش کرو’ ۔ مزے کی بات یہ تھی ڈاکٹر صفدر محمود بھی بڑے واضح طور
پر کرپشن کے سکینڈل کو اور پیپلز پارٹی کے ووٹرکے رویے کو ہی اپنے تجز یے کی بنیاد بنا رہے تھے ۔
اور پھر آخر میں حسب توقع اور حسب معمول عمران خان کو بلا کر امیج بلڈنگ اور این آر او میں ایک تعلق بناتے ہوءے
پروگرام ختم کیا ۔

سرمایہ دارانہ نظام اور میڈیا

آ ءیے دیکھتے ہیں کہ اگر میرا عظیم دانش ورجیو کا نمک خوار ڈاکٹر شاطر موساد ایک دو رخی زندگی نہ گزار رہا ہو تا تو امیج بلڈنگ پر کیسا پروگرام کرتا ۔ اس
کے پروگرام کا موضوع سرمایہ دارانہ نظام اور میڈیا ہو تا ۔ وہ اس پروگرام میں ناظرین کو بتا تا کہ کس طرح سرمایہ
دار اشتہاری مہموں کے ذریعے صارفین سے پیسہ بٹورتا ہے ۔ وہ ناظرین کو بتا تا کہ جس پیپسی اور کوکا کولا کے اشتہار
اس کے ٹی وی پر دکھاءے جاتے ہیں وہ صحت کے لیے کتنے نقصان دہ ہیں ۔ وہ تحقیق کرکے ناظرین کو بتا تا کہ
پاکستان کے لوگ روزانہ سافٹ ڈرنک کی کتنی بوتلیں پیتے ہیں اور ہر بوتل سے کتنا پیسہ با ہر کے ملک کا سرمایہ دار
لے جاتا ہے ۔ میرا دانش ورناظرین کو موباءل فون کمنیوں کا روزانہ منفع بھی بتاتا ۔ وہ لوگوں کی امریکہ کے ساتھ
نفرت کو امریکی مصنوعات کے باءیکاٹ کے ساتھ جوڑتا اور منافع کے بیرونی انخلا کو روک دیتا جس سے ملک کی
حالت مہینوں میں تبدیل ہونا شروع ہو جاتی ۔
لیکن میرا ہیرو شاہد مسعود ایسا نہیں کرے گا ۔ وہ ایسا کر ہی نہیں سکتا کیونکہ اس کا ٹی وی اسے تنخواہ ہی اس رقم
سے دیتا ہے جو اسے کثیر القومی کمپنیوں کے اشتہاروں سے ملتی ہے۔ یہ میرے ہیرو کی مجبوری بھی ہے اور ذمہ داری
بھی کہ وہ عوام کی توجہ سرمایہ دارانہ نظام کی قباحتوں سے ہٹا کر سطحی مساءل کی پر مرکوز کردے ۔اسے یہ بتاءے
کہ تمہارے مساءل کی اصل جڑ تمہارے لیڈر ہیں ۔ یہ بھی میرے ہیرو کی ذمہ داری ہے کہ وہ ریاست کو بدنام اور کمزور
کرے ۔ اگر ریاست کمزور ہوگی تو کثیر الاقوامی کمپنیوں کا راستہ کوءی نہیں روکے گا۔ میرا ہیرو کتنا ذہین ہے کہ
بین الاقوامی سرمایہ دار کے پیسے پر پلتا ہے اور لوگوں کو کامیابی کے ساتھ باور کراتا ہے کہ وہ امریکہ کا دشمن ہے


sajjad bufat Says:

Geo is a westren propaganda, it is the biggest and badest thing happen to pakistan since fall of Dacca, all these people are paid by westrens atleast in the beginning, now this has become a cancer, at times it is more powerful than anything else, and do you why, it is because Mir Shakeel ur Rahman (owner of Geo)is a blackmailer, he got some tapes of some key people and he is using it for his own advantage, he is earning millions of dollar a day, yes millions of dollars a day, no buddy is save from Geo, we all watch it and people think what ever Geo is broadcasting is true, all the anchors are agents…. be careful guys, this is not the end, they are up to something much larger than this,….. just watch your backs and save pakistan, Pakistan Zindabad.

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