The alleged slap by finance minister Ishaq Dar to a news reporter has sent shock waves in the media fraternity across Pakistan. The reporter was asking questions about the failed dialogue and negotiation with the IMF.
Finance czar instead of giving answers, allegedly slapped the journalists in front of his security persons and allegedly asked his security persons to teach the journalist a lesson.
According to the recently released data of annual World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, Pakistan now ranks 150 out of 180 countries. RSF also described Pakistan as one of the world’s deadliest countries for journalists, with three to four murders each year that are often linked to cases of corruption or illegal trafficking and which go completely unpunished.
The different governments in the past have used different techniques and draconian laws to curb the critiques and dissent, have threatened various media persons and media outlets and this government has continued this trend.
The curb and hold on media is an important tool of any government to propagate their policy, the threat to media persons by government ministers violates the media laws. The media is said to be the fourth pillar of state but this pillar is seeming to be weakened by the ruling class and business tycoons have influenced the content and tone of the media outlets.
The alleged slap to senior journalist Shahid Qureshi today in parliament parking by finance minister Ishaq Dar is another black spot on the freedom of press in Pakistan. The senior journalist has alleged that the security men of the Finance minister grabbed him from both sides after which Ishaq Dar slapped him. The act of the senior leader of PML-N and finance czar is condemnable, and the journalists should record strong protest.
The politicians when not in power, make sincere pleas to journalists to cover their event and when coming in power mishandle journalists. The politicians generally in South Asia and especially in Pakistan have maintained the hold on media, being authoritative in nature, uses media as political communication, to communicate with audiences within and across borders and has strong influence on the media.
The Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA) has issued a condemnation over the disrespectful behaviour by guards of the finance minister and demanded an apology from a senior politician and threatened to walk out from the budget session in protest. Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA) also demands National Speaker Raja Parvaiz Ashraf to take notice of the incident.
The journalists’ associations and press club Islamabad should also protest over the mishandling incident and ensure that this type of incident is not repeated in future.