Season Of Silence Bushra Fatima چُپ کا موسم
Bushra Fatima
MC/2k18/41
BS-III
چُپ کا موسم
Season Of Silence
Aasma Sherazi
Aasma Sherazi
The Autumn season has arrived, leaves start shedding from the
trees silently… it’s quite a strange weather, winters are about to come, the sun
is not that much heated and at the same time it’s not providing the same
sunlight as before, season is more like a season of sorrows and its painful.
And it’s more like because it’s the season of silence.
The signs of changing of weather were notable. The winter season of 2007-October was arriving silently, trees were shedding the leaves from spring season. A lot of changes could be seen in the politics. We were all listening about the NRO controversies. All the political leaders who were in abroad wanted some kind of approvals to get back to their country that, all the people were mentioning as a ‘deal’. Although, during this situation Benazir Bhutto made an announcement of her comeback. And we welcomed her with 100 of dead bodies.
During the same time The Supreme Court was conducting hearing about two of the designations and presidential election ability of General Musharaf. Mushraf was facing difficulties to be elected for the coming elections, and a huge pressure was built on courts. Emergency had accursed on 3rd of November.
There was still an intense silence in the city of Islamabad. We all were out there of Supreme Court. National and International media has been listened to a larger bench of Supreme Court to announce an end to the emergency. All were seeing this whole scenario as a show, when a dictator was amusing for the second time with the constitution of the country. Most respectable yet honorable judges were dismissed from their seats and PCO courts were established.
Before the 3rd of November the news were being heard that, if the emergency will be accused then some of the rabble journalists would be banned. On the night of 3rd November, 5 of the journalist Hamid Mir, Nusrat Jawaid, Mushtaq Minhas, Kashif Abbasi, and Dr Shahid Masood including me were banned for any of the presence on screen. We were blamed that, we have made statements against General Musharaf and played an important role in the opposition and the movement of reevaluation of judges
Except for this attempt, the government made an announcement, to a ban on Pakistan’s two of the major channel programs and some of the newspapers. General Musharaf wanted the political environment of his own choice before elections, so that it would be in favor of him, plebiscite and own choice of government.
In the whole circumstances, Pakistan Union of Journalists decided that we will not allow General Musharaf to take the right of freedom of expression, would condemn and would stop the way of dictatorship.
In this situation, the biggest protest of history took place, in a camp present in front of the melody room of the press club.
We are staying here in the outside of the press club for the whole day, we present our programs here on the road now for the viewers and yes they come here to watch our show and to meet us from far, far away.
The signs of changing of weather were notable. The winter season of 2007-October was arriving silently, trees were shedding the leaves from spring season. A lot of changes could be seen in the politics. We were all listening about the NRO controversies. All the political leaders who were in abroad wanted some kind of approvals to get back to their country that, all the people were mentioning as a ‘deal’. Although, during this situation Benazir Bhutto made an announcement of her comeback. And we welcomed her with 100 of dead bodies.
During the same time The Supreme Court was conducting hearing about two of the designations and presidential election ability of General Musharaf. Mushraf was facing difficulties to be elected for the coming elections, and a huge pressure was built on courts. Emergency had accursed on 3rd of November.
There was still an intense silence in the city of Islamabad. We all were out there of Supreme Court. National and International media has been listened to a larger bench of Supreme Court to announce an end to the emergency. All were seeing this whole scenario as a show, when a dictator was amusing for the second time with the constitution of the country. Most respectable yet honorable judges were dismissed from their seats and PCO courts were established.
Before the 3rd of November the news were being heard that, if the emergency will be accused then some of the rabble journalists would be banned. On the night of 3rd November, 5 of the journalist Hamid Mir, Nusrat Jawaid, Mushtaq Minhas, Kashif Abbasi, and Dr Shahid Masood including me were banned for any of the presence on screen. We were blamed that, we have made statements against General Musharaf and played an important role in the opposition and the movement of reevaluation of judges
Except for this attempt, the government made an announcement, to a ban on Pakistan’s two of the major channel programs and some of the newspapers. General Musharaf wanted the political environment of his own choice before elections, so that it would be in favor of him, plebiscite and own choice of government.
In the whole circumstances, Pakistan Union of Journalists decided that we will not allow General Musharaf to take the right of freedom of expression, would condemn and would stop the way of dictatorship.
In this situation, the biggest protest of history took place, in a camp present in front of the melody room of the press club.
We are staying here in the outside of the press club for the whole day, we present our programs here on the road now for the viewers and yes they come here to watch our show and to meet us from far, far away.
The most senior anchors, who were ready to face the dictatorship were
also coming me there like Mr Faraz, Minhaj Barna, and Late. Afzal Khan and the
members of civil society, students and lawyers, and I was the one who tried to
make the revolutionary environment in the protest, by presenting the most
famous poetry “Mahasra” by Ahmad Faraz .
Madam Benazir Bhutto, once came on screen to take participate in the protest, where she raised voice for the freedom of media and not just she made us sure that she will do whatever she can, but yes she proved it as well, she was standing with us till her last breathe. And she was even get attacked on 27th of December. The day when she passed away, everybody was in deep sorrow and anger. On That day we understood everything, and everything was clear to us that, why we were targeted and got banned.
When the leadership of Pervaiz Musharaf came to an end then they got to know that can’t they put an end to media by restriction but by giving them freedom, those voices can’t be stopped by bullets, but by abusing, exploitation and maltreatment. No need to remove them from the front line, but we have to make some strategy to destroy their reputation.
It’s not anything controversial now that they have made conflicts between journalist union, it was planned to make conflicts between united journalist organizations. As the result of all this, the situation was like journalists were left barehanded and they were not having rights for decision making anymore but was given to the heads and gradually all the leftover rights were handed over to their own interests.
This chain still exists… first censorship then self censorship. Nobody needs to make restrictions neither wavering against raising voice. In fact, not just one but so many of protesting camps would set up now. Time has still not gone to break the silence, we should have speak out loud, speak with one voice, while being united ,cause if we do not make voice yet, we will not be saying it ever.
Madam Benazir Bhutto, once came on screen to take participate in the protest, where she raised voice for the freedom of media and not just she made us sure that she will do whatever she can, but yes she proved it as well, she was standing with us till her last breathe. And she was even get attacked on 27th of December. The day when she passed away, everybody was in deep sorrow and anger. On That day we understood everything, and everything was clear to us that, why we were targeted and got banned.
When the leadership of Pervaiz Musharaf came to an end then they got to know that can’t they put an end to media by restriction but by giving them freedom, those voices can’t be stopped by bullets, but by abusing, exploitation and maltreatment. No need to remove them from the front line, but we have to make some strategy to destroy their reputation.
It’s not anything controversial now that they have made conflicts between journalist union, it was planned to make conflicts between united journalist organizations. As the result of all this, the situation was like journalists were left barehanded and they were not having rights for decision making anymore but was given to the heads and gradually all the leftover rights were handed over to their own interests.
This chain still exists… first censorship then self censorship. Nobody needs to make restrictions neither wavering against raising voice. In fact, not just one but so many of protesting camps would set up now. Time has still not gone to break the silence, we should have speak out loud, speak with one voice, while being united ,cause if we do not make voice yet, we will not be saying it ever.
Freedom of Press
Censorship outspreads news, instead of suppression.
Abid Hussain
Censorship outspreads news, instead of suppression.
Abid Hussain
April 17/2018
The Pashtun Tahafuz Tehreek (PTM) held a rally in the provincial capital, Peshawar on April 8, raising its voice for the basic rights of the people of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) but it get very less attention of electronic media as compared to other political rallies and sit-ins in the country.
It was estimated that 20 to 30 thousand of people have participated in the assemblage, but social media was the only way, through which people could get information from.
On the next day the news about PTM’s Jalsa could be seen on almost all of the newspapers in hidden words in some of the inside columns, except of Dawn newspaper.
After 4 days of Jalsa, Pakistan ARMY held an observance in the Army headquarter GHQ at Rawalpindi, and while addressing them the chief of Army “General Qamar Jawed Bajwa’ made an opponent statement while not mentioning PTM. He said that: from the day when peace has finally arrived in FATA, some people have started promoting such movements and from inside and out, some people look for integrity of Pakistan.
After 2 days of address of Army Chief, two of the columnist Nawais and Wakeel Baber, who were the part of Jung group and were the columnist of Jung’s English newspaper named as ‘The News’. Both of them tweeted as “It has been banned to speak anything about PTM on media, Jung and GEO News are ordered as not to write or talk anything on sensitive or sensational issues, and so my weekly column has not been published.
On the next day of their statements a gazette was published on ‘The News’ newspaper on Sunday in section of “the news of Sunday” and was specifically comprised on the PTM issue, but when column was posted on a website, the writer of the gazette Farah Zia got notified from the management to leave her designation.
When BBC called out Farah Zia to share, what happened to her in the whole scenario, she stated that: At the time of publishing of the news about PTM in our newspaper and our website as well as on Sunday, then it gone viral on social media. Then we got a notice to remove the news about PTM from the website. She further stated that: “it’s happening for the very first time that we are asked to delete any content from the website, but yes, I don’t exactly know the reason behind”.
The step that our news channel has taken, is a reaction of an action but the reasons can’t be specified exactly it’s either their own decision to keep their selves away from such propaganda or they have taken this decision due to some external pressure.
According to Farah Zia such kind of censorship can cause an outspread of the news rather than the suppression of the news, and that just happened.
The Pashtun Tahafuz Tehreek (PTM) held a rally in the provincial capital, Peshawar on April 8, raising its voice for the basic rights of the people of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) but it get very less attention of electronic media as compared to other political rallies and sit-ins in the country.
It was estimated that 20 to 30 thousand of people have participated in the assemblage, but social media was the only way, through which people could get information from.
On the next day the news about PTM’s Jalsa could be seen on almost all of the newspapers in hidden words in some of the inside columns, except of Dawn newspaper.
After 4 days of Jalsa, Pakistan ARMY held an observance in the Army headquarter GHQ at Rawalpindi, and while addressing them the chief of Army “General Qamar Jawed Bajwa’ made an opponent statement while not mentioning PTM. He said that: from the day when peace has finally arrived in FATA, some people have started promoting such movements and from inside and out, some people look for integrity of Pakistan.
After 2 days of address of Army Chief, two of the columnist Nawais and Wakeel Baber, who were the part of Jung group and were the columnist of Jung’s English newspaper named as ‘The News’. Both of them tweeted as “It has been banned to speak anything about PTM on media, Jung and GEO News are ordered as not to write or talk anything on sensitive or sensational issues, and so my weekly column has not been published.
On the next day of their statements a gazette was published on ‘The News’ newspaper on Sunday in section of “the news of Sunday” and was specifically comprised on the PTM issue, but when column was posted on a website, the writer of the gazette Farah Zia got notified from the management to leave her designation.
When BBC called out Farah Zia to share, what happened to her in the whole scenario, she stated that: At the time of publishing of the news about PTM in our newspaper and our website as well as on Sunday, then it gone viral on social media. Then we got a notice to remove the news about PTM from the website. She further stated that: “it’s happening for the very first time that we are asked to delete any content from the website, but yes, I don’t exactly know the reason behind”.
The step that our news channel has taken, is a reaction of an action but the reasons can’t be specified exactly it’s either their own decision to keep their selves away from such propaganda or they have taken this decision due to some external pressure.
According to Farah Zia such kind of censorship can cause an outspread of the news rather than the suppression of the news, and that just happened.
People on social media posted the
picture of the news from newspapers and so many of the writer even said that
after the removal of the news from social media people are purchasing this
newspaper more than before. After all people are having so many ways to post
their content and people even attract to the censored news more.
On the other page Gul Bukhari also had to come on the screens because her column that she has written about the same subject of PTM was not published in the English newspaper “The National”.
Gul Bukhari then stated to BBC that in the past time of her career, she had never faced such censorship, but this time her assistant called her and made her know that this column cannot be published, on the bases of sensitivity and intensity of the circumstances.
I understand why the newspaper has taken this decision under these intense circumstances. It’s better to be safe and take a step backward, than sacrificing our own life0.
Gul Bukhari has also raised a question in the essentials of censorship. She said that: In the mean time taking the support of censorship is a complete nonsense, the mediums to get information are nowadays have increased in an immediate manner. It’s not story about 70’s or 80’s.
When the question raised about the past time censorship, The member and journalist of HRCP, an organization of human rights ‘Zehra Yousuf’ stated to BBC that: She thought that after going through the past censorship from the era of Zia, freedom of press couldn’t be absorbed.
I have worked as a journalist in the dictatorship of Zia, but the censorship seems very much menacing and cabal this time, because nothing is clear on board and even the lawyers are in favor of censorship.
On the other page Gul Bukhari also had to come on the screens because her column that she has written about the same subject of PTM was not published in the English newspaper “The National”.
Gul Bukhari then stated to BBC that in the past time of her career, she had never faced such censorship, but this time her assistant called her and made her know that this column cannot be published, on the bases of sensitivity and intensity of the circumstances.
I understand why the newspaper has taken this decision under these intense circumstances. It’s better to be safe and take a step backward, than sacrificing our own life0.
Gul Bukhari has also raised a question in the essentials of censorship. She said that: In the mean time taking the support of censorship is a complete nonsense, the mediums to get information are nowadays have increased in an immediate manner. It’s not story about 70’s or 80’s.
When the question raised about the past time censorship, The member and journalist of HRCP, an organization of human rights ‘Zehra Yousuf’ stated to BBC that: She thought that after going through the past censorship from the era of Zia, freedom of press couldn’t be absorbed.
I have worked as a journalist in the dictatorship of Zia, but the censorship seems very much menacing and cabal this time, because nothing is clear on board and even the lawyers are in favor of censorship.
This is important to mention here
that, in the present time, estate is targeting media and journalism.
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